Desert Tears
by AkraIzumi
Summary: Any stone, no matter how hard or cold, can be carved into a beautiful work of art. Can a lost soul save a lost heart? Is the desert capable of shedding tears? How will the distant Sand Nin Gaara react to the mysterious, half-demon Nin Izumi? GaaraXOCIzumi
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – First Sight, First Fight

AN: Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto, but I do own Izumi! …and Gaara in my wonderfully delicious dreams. Please don't use my character without asking, if you do at all. Please enjoy my OOC.

Izumi stepped through the doors of the Konoha Village Academy. She stood in a navy blue hooded jacked, white blouse with a tie, and what seemed like a mini-skirt with knee-length socks. The school was huge in comparison to her small-town public school. This was something entirely different. It looked like a giant mansion that housed the friggin' armies! But a member of the Neko Clan was never scared, nor backed down from a challenge. If going to this God-forbidden private school was what would save her family, then so be it. Though…..The doors were pretty big… It took the clumsy girl a minute or two to get the huge things open. When she did though, she was in for a great surprise.

Izumi found herself staring into the grand hall with her mouth wide open. She practically had to pick her tongue up off the floor and roll it back into her mouth. "Wow….I never once imagined that I would end up in such a place….What about you, little Yuri?" A small mewling was her answer. "Yeah….Pretty wicked. Welp, let's go find that Tactics Honors class, shall we?"

Pulling her schedule out of the pocket of her school skirt (which was God awful!), she paced through the hallways trying desperately to find the class. It was hard for her to believe that there could possibly be so many classes in one school. Or maybe it was just hard to believe that there was even a school half as big as this one. Eventually, after what seemed like a thousand different hallways and turns, Izumi found the classroom. She stared at the gold plate on the door. _**Room 238. Professor Hayate Gekou.**_"Wow…This is definitely going to be awkward." Grabbing the doorknob, Izumi summoned all of her courage to open the large wooden door.

_Oh…my…damn…_ Izumi stared into a room full of boys. What the hell was up with that! Were they friggin' serious!? She stared in for a moment, all heads turned to her. Smiling wryly, she stepped in and closed the door, utter silence deafening her. "Um…I'm the exchange student, Izumi Motosua…." She felt like falling to the floor at the silence that continually followed. Looking around the room, she saw that it was like a huge arena. There was an open fighting field that covered almost the entire room. _Hell….I wish my house was as big as __half__ this room…!_ Yep, this was going to be _very_ awkward.

Hayate could do nothing but stare for a moment.

_Are they serious….Why would they put a woman in this class…..Even my greatest kunoichi have never made it into these ranks…._

Coughing not -so-inconspicuously, Hayate waved the girl in. "Yes, this is Tactics Honors. Welcome to our academy." He motioned for her to come to stand beside him. "Would you like to tell us something about yourself?" He watched her closely as she fidgeted with her small blue tie.

Nervous as hell, Izumi moistened her lips with her tongue. She opened her mouth to answer. "Well, my name is Motosua Izumi. I come from a village within the land of Water. I hate those who think themselves better than all else, detest arrogant men, and love a good fight. Other than that…I guess I really like food….." She put her finger to her pouted lips. "Yep…Oh! And this is my Guar-"she paused, rethinking her choice of words, "great little friend, Yuri. He's my little leopard." She reached back into her hood to pull out her small, miniature leopard companion. Yuri mewled in protest. His bright yellow eyes searched the room warily. Izumi brushed his head, looking about the room along with him.

Though the school was full of wannabe fighters who thought they were tough shit, there were five boys who were the real deal. They all just happened to be in the same classroom that Izumi was in at the moment. Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, Kankuro the puppet master, and Sabaku no Gaara. The group sat together near the back of the classroom. Each boy stared at the little woman with intense interest.

Naruto stared at the feisty little girl, awed by the shape of her body. She stood at about five feet in height with luscious curves and thick, shapely legs. She had fire-red hair with one strip hanging between her eyes, short bangs around it, and shoulder-length sides with a spiked, short back, much like Sasuke's, setting off her cat-like eyes. Kankuro licked his lips and whistled low in his throat. Sitting beside Naruto, Sasuke looked the girl over, watching the way her feminine muscles moved beneath her soft skin. There was definitely some power behind that small body. Shikamaru simply nodded in acceptance of the arrogant woman. Gaara, however, was fixated on those strange, emerald-entwined sapphire eyes. They had a mysterious swirl to them that made them almost impossible to look away from. There was something deep within those jewel eyes of hers that struck a nerve in his mind.

"Ahem…Well, then. You will be seated beside Gaara-kun. Gaara, stand up so that she may know where to sit." Hayate was really going to regret this, he was sure.

When the boy named Gaara stood up, Izumi felt a lump in her throat.

_Oooh, baby! Now that's some nice merchandise!_

Smacking herself internally for her absurd thought, she walked her way over to where her seat was waiting. Before she sat down, she gave an odd half-smile to Gaara. "Hi." A nod was all that he answered with. _Wonderful….I'm stuck with some bone-headed prick…. _She took her seat quietly, listening intently as Professor Hayate began his teachings of different techniques on taking your opponent down with your legs. It was hard to pay attention with the sexy red-head sitting to her left, though.

_Dammit, Izumi! This is your first friggin' day at school! Put your tongue back into your slobbery mouth and quit ogling!_

"How about you, Ms. Motosua?" Izumi was snapped back into reality as Hayate called on her.

"Wha-?" She stared up at him a bit wide-eyed. "I mean, what would you like?"

Hayate coughed. "I need two volunteers for this technique. Since we've never seen your fighting style, I would like you to come up here and demonstrate to the class what I'm talking about."

Izumi hesitated. "Um…Sure." She got up from her desk and headed toward the front of the room.

"Who would like to be the other volunteer? How about you, Gaara?"

With a subtle nod, Gaara stood from his seat and walked to the center of the large padded floor where the young woman stood. At least he would be able to judge her accordingly to her true fighting style without having to challenge her outside of school.

A bit nerved, Hayate nodded at the pair. "Alright, Gaara, I want you to attack Izumi-chan directly. Strictly hand to hand combat. Izumi, I want you to defend yourself with whatever style you are used to." He paused for a moment. "Alright, let's see it."

Izumi stood, her legs slightly parted, waiting for Gaara's attack. She stood on the front pads of her feet, ready to move whenever he did.

The attack was unexpected when Gaara rushed toward Izumi, his palms out in an attempt to hit her in the chest. Just before he made contact, Izumi leapt, grabbing Gaara's shoulders as she flipped in midair. She used the leverage to twist her body, driving her knee into the red-head's spine. Landing with perfect grace, she watched Gaara fly forward, stumbling 

to keep himself from hitting the ground. Though it was short-lived, Izumi caught the slight shock in his deep blue eyes, grinning inwardly at her managed counter. She could tell that very few, if anyone, ever pulled a move like that on him.

Naruto and the other three boys' mouths dropped. No one had ever countered Gaara. It just wasn't done! In the end, it was Naruto who broke the silence.

"Holy shit! Did you see that chick! She totally just blocked Gaara! And kicked him! " His blue eyes were huge with amazement and awe. The excitement died at the evil glare Gaara cast in his direction.

_Hmm…His sand never burst from the gourd to protect him…._Hayate stared on as Gaara regained his composure. _Something isn't right, here…._

Gaara was taken back a bit, catching his balance. He turned slowly to look upon the girl. _That was no ordinary counter….She's combated before…._ Taking his stance, he looked the girl over. She had the audacity to smile at him as if she were no more than an innocent kitten. He actually had to restrain from reaching out and shaking the smile from her round little face.

Hayate stared over at the girl called Izumi. There was something about her that pulled at his chakra. But what? "Alright. Well done, Ms. Motosua." He coughed. "You may sit now."

"No."

Izumi's eyes widened a bit as Gaara reached back, taking the cork off what looked like a huge gourd. She bit her lower lip in question. Locking eyes with Gaara, she knew exactly what he wanted. _Oh shit! Nice going cat-girl, you pissed him off on your first friggin day at school! What a first impression…._

Hayate stared over at his red-headed pupil. "What do you mean Gaara…?" His brown eyes warily watched the boy.

The only warning Izumi had of an attack was the mewl of Yuri. Before the large stream of sand pierced through her stomach, Izumi took a hell of a leap into the air. Twisting her body to land on the ground in a crouch, she stared up at Gaara, fury lighting her bright eyes. "What the hell was that for you jerk!?"

Without so much as a glance toward her, Gaara shot his hand out, sending another spike of sand in her direction. Knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge this one, she stood on the balls of her feet, quickly gathering her chakra to her legs. With one swift kick, Izumi lifted her leg, coming down on the sand just before it would have penetrated her flesh. A crater 

formed loudly, shaking the room, as her foot smacked into the ground. A fear-filled silence spread throughout the entire room. No one dared to open their mouth.

Hayate stood long enough to assess what was happening. He began walking between the two. "Gaara, I said strictly hand to hand com-"

"Back off, Professor." Locking her furious gaze with Gaara's calm one, Izumi hissed loudly. "There was absolutely no need for that display of bullshit….!" Her pupils began to form elliptical slits in her now darkening eyes. Yuri leapt from her hood, landing on the ground before her, a strong growl leaving his small body. "I suggest you leave me the hell alone. I don't want to do something I know I'll regret later…." A dark blue aura began to wrap itself around Izumi and Yuri.

Gaara watched the girl for a moment, just looking her over. _Could she really be one of them…? I thought their race died out long ago…. _Gaara summoned all of his sand to him, using his hands like a master would with his puppet, weaving the sand into a large Shukaku. With a swift motion of his pale hand, the creature began its attack on the woman and her cat, reaching out with merciless claws.

"You bastard!" Izumi screamed toward the uncaring Gaara. The dark blue chakra surrounded her, engulfing her in its dark beauty. She grabbed Yuri before the sand reached him, tossing him back behind her. As the sand reached Izumi's barrier it disintegrated, leaving no evidence that it had ever even been there. "You might as well stop this. If you really want to fight, then put down your cheats and face me fist to fist you coward!" She let her chakra subside, hushing Yuri's loud growling.

Gaara almost couldn't hold his smile below the surface. Was this girl for real? No one dared defy him. He stepped forward, his sand returning to him before he replaced the cork in the gourd. "Do not tempt me, woman, I _will_ kill you."

Izumi gave an inelegant snort. "What, Mr. Big-shot? Are you afraid that for once someone's going to kick your pompous ass?"

The entire class, along with Hayate, stood silently waiting for Gaara to leap out and kill the girl. Who was this fiery little creature? Better yet, _what_ was she? She obviously knew nothing about what she was getting herself into; otherwise she would just stop and admit defeat.

Gaara nodded. "Your funeral, hairball." He pulled the gourd from his back, setting it carefully out of his way. He took his usual stance, arms crossed over his chest, his legs widened to the span of his shoulders. His eyes never left Izumi's.

Gathering all of her courage and strength, Izumi sent Yuri her thoughts of comfort to keep him out of the fight. He quieted in reassurance to her calming images. _There you go, boy_. Taking her stance, she waited for the arrogant man to attack her.

Gaara came out of nowhere, planting his open palm into Izumi's stomach. She went flying backward, blood spewing from her mouth. Though the pain was bitter, she regained her control, using the wall to her advantage as she flew toward it. Her feet smacking the surface, she used it to jump from, the momentum of the jump allowing her to catch Gaara in the chest with a full-blown kick.

Gaara stumbled backward from the unexpected counter, sucking in his breath as he did so. There was only a split second he had to block himself from the next kick that she sent toward his head. He grabbed her left ankle, dragging her to him in order to send a blow to her chest. Before this could be done, Izumi jumped off her other foot, using Gaara as leverage to kick him hard in the neck with her free leg. He let go of her instantly.

Izumi stood, watching Gaara regain his balance. Wiping the crimson from her lips, she spoke quietly, "I don't give a damn who you think you are. I don't even _know_ who the hell you are! I've been here for what, maybe an hour? Yet you would attack me as if I am some enemy you've had a grudge against all your life." She stared at him, her swirling sapphire-emerald eyes locking with his deep teal ones. "Funny how I'm able to piss someone off on my first day at a private academy, huh? Then again, maybe that's just what _my_ kind does to _yours_." She spat the words at him with malice. "I'm outta here." Izumi began her walk out of the room without so much as a glance toward anyone in the room. The utter silence deafened her as she walked out of the room and soon out of the entire building, Yuri growling low in his throat at her side.

Gaara watched the girl walk out of the room, all eyes locked on him. He took a moment to go over all that had happened within only the last hour. It had only taken one period of the day to make him rethink all that he had been taught in his life. Not that anyone had ever taken the liberty of teaching him anything in the first place. Gaara reached down then, picking up his gourd and strapping it to his lithe back.

Naruto was once again the first and only to dare break the silence. "So, uh, do we all get to go home early?" He gulped as Gaara turned his darkened gaze on to him.

Without even a thought towards anyone else, Gaara walked out of the room, following the path that Izumi had taken to leave the school. His only thoughts lingered on the girl and the secrets that she held within that agile body of hers. She was a small, proportioned girl with a 

curved body that begged a man to touch and squeeze. Her legs were in perfect shape for swift, bone-crushing kicks. Legs that would also be just the right length to wrap around his waist…

Gaara stopped abruptly in his tracks.

Why in God's name had he even thought of such a thing? There was nothing special about this woman. Nothing at all. In fact, she was arrogant, stubborn, and needed the smile wiped strait from her little round face. She was too cocky, much like his sister. But in so many other ways, she was different. Gaara's mind wandered, bringing him a full picture of Izumi's sapphire entwined emerald eyes. Eyes that held deep, dark mysteries that beckoned all that looked into them to be solved. Sorrowful and unsure, much like the ocean before a storm.

Smacking his fist into the nearest tree, Gaara glared in the direction he felt Izumi's raging chakra. He would find her and make her leave this place. It didn't matter to him who, or even what she was. Nothing but the blood of another on his hand had ever tempted him, and he wouldn't let a woman he had never even seen before change his ways.

AN: Welp, hope my first chapter has caught your attention. Hope you'll read the next! Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Beneath the Sun

AN: Still don't own Naruto. I hop you'll like this chapter; it took me a while to find a flow to follow. Enjoy!

After releasing the class early, Hayate called an emergency meeting. The highest of the Jonin and Anbu gathered. Asuma and Kurenai were talking together near the doorway, serious looks on both their faces. Might Guy walked about the room, making conversation with anyone he ran into. The only person he really needed to see was the one he hadn't found yet, Kakashi. He was the one man who could answer Hayate's questions.

"I guess you're looking for me, Hayate-sama."

Hayate turned on his heels to face Kakashi. At about six feet with a ripped body, Kakashi was one man that no one dared mock. He wore his platinum hair spiked, his Leaf Village headband slanted and over his right eye, hiding his greatest secret.

"I suppose it's time I asked you what the hell you were up to." Hayate stood toe to toe with Kakashi, locking eyes with him. Everyone in the room was now facing the two men, worried looks on all their faces.

Kakashi stared right back at Hayate. There wasn't much that he couldn't take. "What ever do you mean, Hayate-sama?"

"I mean that young woman you put in my _honors_ class! What were you thinking putting her in there with all of those guys? Not even my greatest kunoichi have ever made it into those ranks!" He clenched his fists when Kakashi gave him a smug look. "What is it that you know about her that we don't?"

"There's nothing to know. Besides, she did hold her own in the battle with Gaara, did she not? I think she even made him bleed, as well." He spoke his words in a matter-of-fact tone.

Might Guy took a step forward then. "What do you mean 'she even made him bleed'?" His eyes were bright with both concern and disbelief.

"It was inhuman…" Hayate's gaze hit the floor. "Every move he made, she had a counter. She had the strength and speed of which I've never seen before, even in Lee." He turned toward Guy with hesitation. "It was as if she wasn't even human but a hybrid between demon and human. Though she had the form of a young woman, her chakra was almost as 

great as that of a Biju."

Asuma stepped forward along with Kurenai. "Should we capture and investigate her? Do we even know where she came from?"

Kurenai spoke up next. "He's right, Kakashi. She could be a spy for the Akatsuki or Orochimaru. We should trap her and interrogate her immediately."

"No one will touch her!"

The room spun around to see Tsunade standing in the doorway with Shizune. She walked into the room with the grace and dignity of the leader she was.

"Mistress Tsunade, what brings you to us this evening?" Hayate gave her a slight bow.

Tsunade looked about the room before answering. "You will not touch the girl. She is to be protected at all costs."

All eyes and ears were now to the leader of the village. Guy stepped forward.

"Mistress, we have no idea if she is a threat to the students or the village. How are we expected to trust an outsider that has arrived with no information on where she even came from? All we know is her name and the name of the creature with her. We don't know if she is even human."

Tsunade gave him a calm and calculating look. "I know it may be hard for you to understand, but she is extremely priceless. She was sent here by her dying mother, who is one of my dearest friends. Her mother has done much for me in her time, and there is no need for distrust in her daughter."

"Then what village is she from?" Kurenai held her hand on her hip, suspicion deep in her ruby eyes.

"Right now would not be the time to discuss those matters, as it is none of your concern." Tsunade couldn't afford to blow the young girl's cover just yet. She knew that they would never understand her because of what Izumi was. All that mattered was that she be protected at all costs necessary. "Now, Izumi-Chan will need to be placed in the home of the strongest we have." She looked to Kakashi. "As of right now, Gaara would be the best candidate."

Hayate snapped up immediately at those words. "She can't! Did you not see them this morning? They'll tear each other's throats out!"

"Then they'll have to get over it. She needs to be protected, and the strongest ninja we have here is Gaara-kun. He could more then well do the job, and you know it Hayate." Tsunade turned to leave when no one spoke out. "It is done then. Kakashi, find Gaara and the girl and send them to the caves beneath the Forbidden Forest floor. There is a small cottage hidden inside. They will be provided with all of the necessities they need. If they want fresh meat however, they will have to hunt. It may even bring them from their animosity toward each other into a mutual liking. Now go." With that, she left.

Izumi sat on a rock at the edge of the small waterfall she had discovered on her way to the village. She watched as Yuri padded through the water, mewling and playing. If only she could be as joyous. Instead, she lifted her small hand, bringing water from the stream up with it. She rolled her hand around until the water had formed into a glistening orb. With the light of the setting sun, the orb gave off a very soft red glow.

"I guess it was just my destiny to be hated by everyone and everything." She toyed with the orb, watching the glittering water swirl. Unshed tears filled her eyes as a bittersweet sorrow filled what heart she still had left. "Fine. I don't need anyone…I don't need anything from this world!" She crushed her hand into a fist, sending the water that formed the orb flying in all directions.

Izumi stepped down from her rock into the cool water. Yuri padded to her, rubbing against her calf. She smiled gently, before picking the little leopard up and setting him on the rock where she had been. "Maybe I could use a bit of a bath. I do need to calm down I suppose." Turning back to the waterfall, Izumi began slowly removing her clothing. Picking them up, she laid them beside Yuri, who was lying in a ball with his eyes closed.

Taking a quiet step into the water, Izumi sighed at the feel of the cool liquid around her. She walked on into the water as she begin to sing softly in the light of the now rising moon. As she began singing louder, animals of all sorts began to drift out of the darkened woods onto the waters edge. They all followed her melodic voice as she began dancing in the water, spinning and bending like a ballerina. One wolf began to howl softly, a fox mewing along with her voice. It was a sight to be seen as the girl danced about the water with birds and butterflies surrounding her. A beautiful symphony only the forest could sing beautifully.

Gaara was about to head back toward the town when he heard a faint musical note in the air. Curious as to the animalistic singing that flowed through the forest, he followed the 

singing wind until he came to the waterfall by the caves. When he reached the forests edge, he stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.

It was the girl, in all her naked beauty, dancing and singing in the waters of the stream. It was breathtaking the way her body moved along with the soft lyrics she sang to the animals around her. He looked around to see wolves, foxes, birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer, and many more forest creatures dancing and yipping along with her. It was like seeing the great Artemis herself among her forest children. She looked so….happy….

Gaara took a step forward, mesmerized by the beauty of her naked body in the light of the pale moon. Combined with the light reflecting from the stream and the glistening of her bright eyes, Gaara was at a standstill in time. He'd never seen something so enchanting. It even made him forget the entire reason he had been looking for her in the first place. He went to step quietly forward, but stepped on a twig, snapping it.

Izumi turned to where she had heard something crack to find the boy, Gaara, from earlier. They locked gazes, freezing her in place. As she stared into his pale eyes, she could see a longing so deep she thought it would drown her in its sorrow. Izumi could do nothing other than stand there, water dripping down her body as she stared into the eyes of a lost soul. She could almost connect with him in his emotions…Until Yuri mewled in protest and the animals began to melt back into the forest. She spun around, grabbing her clothes and running.

As her feet hit the trail, she struggled to pull her shirt and skirt on, skipping along the way. She nearly tripped several times over small rocks in the way. When she thought she had outrun Gaara, Izumi stopped to catch her breath. She turned and leaned her back against the nearest tree, taking in quick breaths of air. She didn't even notice that her shirt was half unbuttoned, exposing the majority of her ample breasts, or her twisted skirt that left her silky legs bare to view. Her hair was tousled; her cheeks flushed pink from her hard run. Izumi closed her eyes, finally catching her breath and relaxing a bit.

In her out-of-world relaxing, Izumi didn't even react to Yuri's loud growling before she opened her eyes to find Gaara pinning her to the tree. She went to push him away, only to have him grab her wrists, pinning them beside her head. Her heart pounding out the rhythm of her worry and anger, Izumi lifted her sapphire-emerald eyes to Gaara's teal ones. What she saw in them was not the anger and hatred that she thought would meet her. Instead, they were filled with a heady lust that seared into her skin like lightning. Her tongue darted out to moisten her full lips.

Gaara stared down at the girl called Izumi. She was beautiful for a woman with her heritage. It was an unearthly beauty that you would only expect to see in an angel or angelic 

being. As he looked her over, he saw that her lush breasts were almost bare to his gaze, her legs were slightly parted against her crooked skirt. Gaara locked gazes with Izumi, lowering his head until he was only inches from her full, wet lips.

"Why are you here, little princess? Why travel so far from your broken kingdom of long forgotten demons?" He whispered malice against her soft lips.

Izumi had no idea what to say as she stared into the face that was so close to hers. Did he really know about her parentage? No, he was trying to intimidate her. "Who ever said that I was a demon? Maybe I was searching for somewhere to go and I'm just lost…" She stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

Gaara knew he was lost when he began to drown in the sapphire of her eyes. He could tell that she was hiding something that worried her as her eyes began to swirl into a deep blue that enveloped the emerald around her pupils. She looked so helpless against his grasp, her face flushed with color as she looked up at him with those big baby blues. He felt himself reluctantly growing hard.

"I know you're not lost, little princess…. How would you have the protection of the Hokage if you were?"

Izumi instantly began squirming against Gaara, trying to get out of his grasp. "Let me go! You know nothing about me you bastard!" She shook her head from side to side, fighting against his strong hold. She thrashed against him, spitting and snarling like a trapped cat. As Izumi was about to give him a good kick in the groin, her legs went out from under her, sending her falling into Gaara's arms.

"I hate you….I fucking hate you all!!" Izumi began to cry out, tears falling fast down her pale cheeks. She raised her fist to punch Gaara in the chest, only to find that he caught it in his own hand..

Gaara caught Izumi's falling hand in his own large one. He stared down at her as she cried; cursing someone or something he couldn't understand. He could feel the sorrow and loneliness radiating from her chakra, her sense of being lost. And it pained him somewhere within himself he thought had never existed.

Izumi lifted her head to meet Gaara's confused gaze. "You didn't even let me say goodbye to him before you slit his throat." Her eyes swirled with and eerie emerald and pale blue. "I hate you all…."

Before Gaara could even get an explanation from her on her hate-filled words, his gourd 

busted open, the sand inside surrounding them to form a wall as something impacted against it.

Izumi was set softly on the ground as Gaara turned with a menacing glare in the direction of the attacker. He searched the area around them, trying to lock on to whoever was hidden in the trees. Just as he caught sight of movement in the foliage, another kunai was sent flying in their direction. Without any thought, his sand flew from his gourd to wrap around Izumi before the kunai could reach her.

Stunned, Izumi stood completely still as she felt the coarse sand cover her body before something smacked into it. As soon as the sand receded back into Gaara's gourd, she lifted her nose to the wind, taking in as much information as she could. She knew exactly who was in the shadows as soon as the scent filled her lungs.

"Yuri," Izumi turned to find her target in the trees, "you know what to do!" She leaped into the air past Gaara. "Please, you may hate me, but I still don't want you caught up in my battles. Just leave!" It didn't matter to her that he was the son of the devil incarnate himself, she wasn't about to have more blood on her hands.

A dark blue chakra swirled around Izumi's small hand. "You might as well come out Takiji, I know you're there! Let's fight fist to fist!" She waited as the figure stepped out of the darkness to stand in the light of the moon in a branch above them.

Gaara waited for what he thought would be a strong, giant man to show himself. Instead, he found himself staring at a young man about the same age as him. The boy, Takiji, wore what looked similar to an Anbu suit. Black pants and boots covered his bottom half. His chest was mostly bare, with only two thick black straps filled with kunai and grenades. Black and silver gauntlets covered his fists, giving him a knightly look. The boy's gaze rested on Izumi.

"Long time no see, my little kitten. Have you missed me?" Takiji's dark ember eyes shined with a demonic glow.

Izumi glared up at her once child-hood friend. "I never was, and never will be 'your little kitten' you filthy bastard!" She watched him closely. "Why have you been sent here Takiji? To try and redeem the honor you never had?"

Takiji stared down at Izumi, licking his lips. "You know, you've filled out quite nicely, little kitten. It's a shame poor Katara will never be able to see how beautiful of a Queen she's made ever again." He gave her a wicked, malice filled smile. "Poor old cat…."

Izumi saw red at the mention of her mother's name. "How dare you _**ever **_speak of my mother you worthless son-of-a-whore! You're nothing but a lowdown, mixed breed that never 

had a place in the lair!" She shook with the rage in her blood. "How could you ever speak of her this way when she was the one who took you in and made you part of the family!?" Unshed tears burned in her eyes, her balled fists trembling with her fury. "I should have never asked if you could be my brother…. We should have left you in the mud where your slut of a mother dropped you!"

Gaara watched the display of dramatics with disinterest. The only thing that even struck any of his attention at all was Takiji's comment about Izumi's body. He didn't know why, but it gave him a stab of jealousy in his stomach. A feeling of protectiveness; but he couldn't be quite sure. Whatever the feeling, he dismissed it as hunger. Stepping forward, Gaara stood between the two arguing.

"I'm tired of this foolishness. Go. Or I'll kill you." Gaara stared up at the newcomer with nothing short of hatred in his eyes.

Takiji grinned down at Gaara, who stood protectively in front of Izumi. "Well, well. Now what do we have here? You didn't tell me you had a lover, kitten. If I would have known I had such powerful competition, I would have brought my swords with me." His glowing amber gaze swept over Gaara. "Ah… the world-renowned Sabaku no Gaara. Son of the biggest bastard ever created."

Gaara glared right back at Takiji. "I don't know what you're rambling on about, but if you don't get out of my way, I'm gonna tear you apart."

Takiji gave a twisted, maniacal laugh at Gaara's words. "Don't worry, I'll be going soon. But not until I give her a little gift." He brought his hands together and began to make signs, creating a diagram in the air. "This should keep you down for a while, little kitten." Chanting in a language Gaara couldn't understand, Takiji sent the diagram down to wrap itself around Izumi.

Izumi let out a blood-curdling scream as the energy field tightened around her body. She felt her body begin to burn, her limbs crackling, contorting, and fur ripping through soft skin, muzzle and teeth erupting in her mouth until she was in the form of a giant were-leopard. She roared into the Heavens as her body burned and throbbed under the force of Takiji's spell. The field wrapped tighter around her until it painfully forced her back into her human form, where she saw Gaara watching her with deep teal eyes. The world became hazy, and as her air seemed to be cut off from her lungs, she fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Gaara watched as Izumi shifted forms before her body went limp. At the same time, Yuri began to shift within a dark blue flame until he was a giant, grotesque black leopard. His skin 

was pulled tight against his bones, some of which were showing through torn flesh. His heart-beat was visible, his eyes a deep glowing red. Yuri roared into the night before large, bat-like wings erupted from his back and he flew strait for Takiji.

"I'll be back for her, Shukaku. And next time, I'm taking her." Takiji leapt from his branch into the darkness.

As Takiji went to flee from the large demon's attack, the energy field around Izumi disappeared, sending her falling to the ground. Before she smacked into the dark brown earth, Gaara's gourd opened; sand spilling out to create a soft blanket for her to fall into. The sand pulled itself back until Izumi was a few inches from his chest where it cradled her. She lay there on the sand, never moving her or setting her down, as if pushing her toward him.

Gaara stared down at the face of the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered in his life. She looked so innocent and vulnerable lying there with her clothes all torn and her hair spilled out in a tousled mess. Anger raced through his blood at the thought of someone taking advantage of such innocence, though he honestly didn't know why. He looked up toward the sky, for the first time confusion in his eyes. "What are you asking me to do, Mother…" Gaara reached out and lifted Izumi into his arms, pulling her to him and cradling her to his chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck. The sand lingered in front of him for a moment before it slowly receded back into the gourd on his back. As Gaara looked down at Izumi's small frame in his arms, he couldn't understand why he even took her from his sand. The tattoo on his forehead began to burn, pain rippling somewhere within himself he never knew existed.

A loud roar sounded through the forest, sending birds of all kinds flying into the dark sky. Gaara turned to see the demon-cat, Yuri, crash through the canopy of trees onto the forest floor. The demon raised its dark head, red eyes staring strait at him. Gaara braced himself for an attack. Instead, the large creature stepped forward, rubbing its nose against Izumi's cheek, making a purring sound as it caressed her gently. The demon never took its eyes off Gaara, however. Yuri stared up at him, looking at him with intelligent eyes.

"_You will take care of her, human…."_

Gaara couldn't have been more shocked had the grotesque creature licked him. He stared at the huge, horse-sized demon. "How do you speak, demon?"

"_You will take her, human, and you will protect her."_

"I don't like being told what to do, demon. In fact, I should just leave her here for that wannabe ninja to take."

Yuri roared deeply at Gaara, wind whipping around them as he did so. All creatures around them fled in fear of the bigger, fiercer beast. "_I would have no problem at all taking your life you pathetic excuse for a living being!" _He began to roar again, only to stop at Izumi's soft stirring. The demon stared down at her, his eyes swirling with emotions Gaara could never begin to comprehend. Yuri looked back up to lock gazes with Gaara. "_You will take care of our princess, and one day make her queen…and will not fail….if you value your own life, Sabaku no Gaara…."_

Gaara watched the demon was engulfed by the dark blue flame, leaving the small, leopard-like version of the creature in the place where the hell-cat had stood. The little cat gave a small growl towards Gaara before nipping his left ankle. Satisfied he had done justice, Yuri began walking in the direction of the caves beneath the waterfalls.

Looking down at Izumi's pale face once more, Gaara decided to follow the little fur-ball. Hell, what good was an unconscious opponent? He'd just make her a fire and leave her some food before he headed back to the village. It wouldn't kill him….

AN: Well, I hope you liked that chapter enough to keep on reading. Please review, it helps a lot!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Chiseling Stone

AN: This was my favorite chapter to write so far. I love getting emotionally involved in my stories, and I hope maybe you will too. Enjoy. Still don't own Naruto.

Kakashi watched from a distance away as Gaara began to walk toward the caves beneath the falls with the girl held close to his chest. It was funny to him how everything seemed to fall into place. It was also intriguing to him that a small woman could put such a possessive and protective instinct in the ice-hearted Sabaku no Gaara.

"Everything seems to be working in our favor, doesn't it Kakashi-sama?"

Kakashi shifted so that he could see the Hokage. She stood just a branch behind him, looking past him to Gaara disappearing beneath the falls. The wind played with her long blonde hair, giving her an almost innocent look. Tsunade turned her head to look at Kakashi, who just waited for her to say something, which she did after a few moments.

"Even a heart of stone can be carved into a beautiful work of art; it just takes a special kind of chisel to make it work." Tsunade smiled to herself as memories of her long lost love flooded her. It'd been so long since anything had made her think of him….

"Do you think he will leave her, Mistress?" Kakashi watched as her eyes began to glisten with a knowledge he would probably never comprehend. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Tsunade just looked on at the falls, the light of the moon shining in her eyes. "Why would he?" She turned her gaze up to the star-lit sky. "He has nowhere else to go…"

Gaara threw down the last piece of rabbit skin before impaling it on a stick above the flame he had built. He tossed the meat he hadn't used to Yuri, who quickly grabbed it and made off to the nearest corner. Ignoring the little creature, Gaara turned his attention to the sleeping girl by the wall. He had taken off his coat and gourd to make her a pallet to lie on. Setting his knife aside, he stood to walk over to the girl and knelt beside her.

Gaara looked down at Izumi sleeping. She looked helpless and innocent with her red hair spilled around her face like a halo of red-gold fire. Her long lashes created crescents against her pale cheeks, setting off her lush pink lips, lips that beckoned and begged to be kissed. 

Reaching out with long, tapered fingers, Gaara stroked Izumi's cheek with his fingertips. The sensation of her skin beneath his fingers shook him to his very soul. He felt himself harden instantly, burning for this strange girl. Something deep within him began to stir to life, sending tingling licks of fire through his aching body.

With all new thoughts racing through his mind, Gaara didn't even notice that he had leaned down and wasn't a whisper away from Izumi's full lips. He found himself holding his breath, staring down into the face of an angel. Only a centimeter more and he could taste the cause of his temptation…

"No!" Gaara jerked backward, flinging himself away from Izumi. Angry at his own lack of discipline, he smacked his balled fist into the wall of the cave, cursing.

How could he ever lose control so easily? This was so stupid! Pathetic, even. Smacking his fist into the wall once more, Gaara began to stomp out of the cave, intent on leaving Izumi for good. He wasn't a babysitter! He was one of the strongest Nin in the land, and he would not let some weak, pitiful woman slow him down.

"Please! No!"

Gaara stopped to see Izumi thrashing around on the ground. Yuri began to mewl, running directly to the girl's side, licking gently at her cheek. Gaara could see tears shimmering in her lashes through the light, sending a pang strait into his long-forgotten heart. He watched as her face contorted into one of pain, tears now flowing down her face like small streams. Yuri tried his best to calm Izumi with his mews and by brushing her with his small paws, only to have her thrash into him, knocking him backward. That's when the small cat turned to Gaara with a soft growl.

Standing there eye to eye with the small demon, something went through Gaara like lighting. Yuri stared at him, through him; a surge of intelligence and alert shooting through him. Suddenly, he became paralyzed as images swirled fast through his mind. His body felt weightless as his soul left his physical form and entered a world of mystery. He felt dizy, his soul stirring and whirling through some sort of colored wind. When he was finally still and silent, he found himself standing at the edge of a wide lake.

Gaara looked around him, checking out his surroundings. Half-way through his assessment, he turned and saw a young girl standing near the opposite edge of the lake, her fire-red hair flowing with the wind that caressed her sun kissed skin. The girl turned her gaze until it was as if she had locked eyes with Gaara. It was in that moment when those mysterious sapphire-entwined-emerald eyes caught his that Gaara knew exactly who the little girl was. It 

was Izumi.

The young Izumi smiled, giggled, then turned and ran into the forest behind her. Gaara felt himself moving forward, chasing after her. He didn't know why, but it was imperative that he follow. Just as he reached the dark edge of the forest, he found himself falling fast into a deep, even darker hole. He fell for a few moments until he landed on his feet, hitting dark brown earth lightly as he gained his balance in front of a burning village. Gaara stared around him, watching as the flames grew high above the treetops, bits of the huts falling with other debris.

A blood-curdling scream filled the air as Gaara turned to see the young Izumi running from within the flame covered village. She was smudged with dirt and blood. Her clothes were torn; blood seeped from a deep wound in her side and on her right ankle, giving her a limp as she tried desperately to run. But from what? As if on cue, three giant men came running from the direction that Izumi had, howling and screaming after the girl, wicked looks on their faces. Gaara felt a pang of fear for the girl when he saw her trip and hit the ground with a smack. The three men had now caught up to her, the biggest of them grabbing her by the hair and dragging her from the ground. Gaara saw that each of the men wore a headband identifying them as Nin of the sand village, and at this, Gaara snapped with fury. But as he tried to run at the men, he was held in place. This angered him further, making him struggle against the force pushing him back.

"You might as well stop, Gaara. This is only a reflection of the past; you couldn't change it even if you wanted to."

Gaara turned, finding the giant cat-demon Yuri standing beside him, his red eyes glowing ominously. The creature gazed on at the young Izumi being smacked repeatedly, doing nothing to intervene.

"You would let her be beaten! I thought you were her guardian, demon!" Gaara's voice spit malice toward the demon. When the demon just stared on, fire boiled his blood, his patience breaking like a twig.

Yuri turned to Gaara then, his eyes filled with both pain and guilt. "Do you think I would not have stopped it if I could have?" Yuri growled deep in his grotesque, boney throat. "I was merely a suckling kit at the time." The beast turned his bright red eyes back to the scene of the beaten girl. His voice was heavy with spite and remorse when he spoke next. "You will now see that you are not the only one who has suffered greatly, nor the worst."

Gaara's gaze focused back on Izumi as she was thrown back into a tree. He could hear 

bones shatter in her small body, her cry ringing out through the cold air. Pain filled his heart at the sight of the broken young girl. He had forgotten all about his pride, his dark image, and his reputation as being the meanest thing out there. Seeing the child Izumi struggle for breath against pain he had never felt shattered the ice that encased his heart. This wasn't even the worst to come, however, because not a few moments after being thrown into the thick tree, Izumi was dragged back up by her hair and positioned in front of the bigger man's groin.

"You're going to suck this you little bitch, and you're gonna like it!" The man slapped her across the face, blood spewing from the little girl's lips.

Just as the man was about to push Izumi's mouth in the direction of his disgusting hard-on, a deep roar filled the air around them. From the burning ruins of the village sprang a giant leopard with large, black wings. The large beast landed heavy on one of the three laughing men. With a loud roar, the creature bent its head, teeth gripping the man's throat and tearing it out, blood squirting out onto the burnt soil. After completing the kill, the beast turned with a snarl and snatched the second man in its extremely large claws, dragging him to it and ripping through his stomach with large canines in the same manner as the first. Meat and intestine fell to the ground, blood pooling like a lake around the two bodies. The creature wasted no time in killing these men.

This left the man holding the crying, bloody girl in his grasp. Dropping her roughly, the man pulled out a long sword.

"I'm surprised, Miake!" The man glared in the large leopard's direction, "I thought we had taken care of you along with your wife back at the village." The man grinned evilly, his face contorting in the manner of one being psychotic. "What a pretty little thing she was. You should have heard her crying out for you as I took her over and over again before I slit her cute little throat." The man laughed maniacally when the giant creature spread its wings, roaring into the Heaven's with sorrow and rage in its voice. "And now…I'll take your daughter!" The man leapt forward, his sword strait out in aim of the large leopard's chest.

The leopard leapt into the air, snarling as he came down on the man. It landed on him with a crash into the ground, pinning the man flat and wrenching the sword and then the hand holding it from his body. The man screamed out as his hand was ripped from his wrist, blood oozing from his open arm in a pool around him. He looked up in horror to realize that the demon was right above his face, long canines shining at him. The man's last vision was that of the leopard jolting down and tearing the throat from his neck.

Gaara watched on as the large leopard dropped the man beneath him and looked to the crying girl on the ground. For the first time, Gaara saw that the leopard was covered in blood, 

parts of his wings and flesh torn. The leopard began to crawl over to Izumi, whom Gaara now knew was the creature's daughter. The leopard, Miake, began to slip and stumble in his effort to reach his crying child. A light surrounded the creature, its body contorting and twisting until a torn, naked man was crawling on the ground. Long red hair flowed down Miake's back, his deep blue eyes locked on his sobbing daughter. Miake refused to give up. If it took his last breath to hold his daughter, so be it, but he would not die now. When he finally reached her, he pulled himself to his knees, gently picking Izumi up and cradling her to his chest. Tears began to form in the demon-man's eyes.

"My poor little kitten." Miake kissed his daughter's head, soothing her crying. "You've been through too much." He looked down at his broken and bruised child, her small fingers wrapped around his. Tears fell from Miake's eyes onto Izumi's cheek as he whispered to her. "My dear Izumi….My little love….Please forgive me." He turned his gaze up into the fire-lighten sky. "You will survive my leopard-swan. You are as strong as your father, and as spiteful as your mother. I will not let the forest have your spirit yet." Looking down into the eyes of his daughter, Miake whispered his love to her, "I love you my little kitten. Don't you ever forget that your mother and I love you, no matter what anyone else says. You are our last hope for peace between our two worlds…." A soft white light began to glow around Miake's bloody body, his image glittering in the darkened night. His body began to dissolve, his eyes still fixed on his daughter.

"I love you, Daddy." Izumi's big, bright sapphire-emerald eyes locked with her father's.

Miake stared down into his daughter's eyes one more time, love bursting from every pore in his battered body. "I love you too, my little princess." With that, Miake leaned down and kissed Izumi on the head, a tear hitting her cheek just before his body dissolved into a sparkling light that wrapped itself around her tiny body. Miake's energy began to repair all damage done to the girl, healing her cuts and bruises. Within a few minutes of fixing Izumi's body, the light entered her, seeping into her skin.

Izumi's crying had stopped and she was sound asleep, floating gently in the air. The wind began to pick up, the fire of the burning village dying down at the same time. Gaara watched as from beyond the floating girl, two leopards emerged from the forest. He could tell that they were mates, the bigger male nuzzling the smaller female. The mates looked over the sleeping Izumi, the female licking the little girl's cheek softly. The female cat looked over at her mate, purring her plea. The male, in answer, grunted, stepping forward and taking Izumi into his jaws the way a mother would carry its cub, and leaned his head back to rest her on the broad of his neck. Izumi's hands instantly grasped at the thick fur, as if she had ridden the backs of leopards many times before. Grunting to the female, the male turned and headed back into the 

darkened forest. Before following her mate, the sleek female turned her head, looking up toward the sky. She closed her eyes and purred as if being pet along her jaw. She then gave a soft cough-grunt toward an invisible figure before turning and following behind her mate into their forest home.

Gaara felt himself fall back into reality as the image of the leopard receding into the forest began to disperse. It was weird to feel himself being sucked back into his own body, a dizzy feeling coming over him for a moment. When he was stable on the ground again, Gaara looked around the cave, his darkened gaze resting on the still-thrashing Izumi. She laid there, her fists cradled against her chest, rolled up into a ball. Tears still fell down her face like streams of water, sobbing gently into the night.

Walking quietly over to where she laid, Gaara sat down beside Izumi, his eyes never leaving her sorrowful expression. He reached out with steady arms, lifting her into his arms just as her father had. It was the first time Gaara had ever felt truly compelled to help anyone, least of all a woman he had only just met. It didn't matter to him that she was the spawn of a demon father, or that she was being chased by demons from her village, or even the fact that he shouldn't be this close to anyone. This felt right. For the first time in all his dreadful life, Gaara felt as if he had a purpose. As if he was needed.

Gaara stared down into Izumi's face, reaching up with tapered fingers to wipe tears away from her pale cheeks. Pain seared through Gaara's heart as he thought of the way she had been beaten by the sand Nin, along with the thought of how her father had given his life to keep her alive. He honestly couldn't blame her for her deep hatred of him. Pulling her closer to his chest, Gaara began to rock her slowly in his arms, singing softly the lullaby he could still hear his mother sing to him. He held her like this until the moon rose high in the night sky, when he fell asleep to the sound of Yuri's gentle purring and Izumi's level breathing.

AN: Well, I really hope you've liked the story up until now. If you like the story, please review. If you really want more, I need to know! Kudos to all!

Akra Izumi


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Well, I woke up this morning thinking that after many, many dreams, I might own Naruto….Reality sucks, huh? lol I really liked writing this chapter, especially when I thought I was going to die of boredom in my Studyhall. Please enjoy!

Chapter 4-Innocence

Izumi began to stir as the morning light hit her face. She felt warmth beside her, cuddling up to it, thinking it to be Yuri. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, bright emerald and sapphire shining as she looked to the source of her warmth.

"Good morning Yu-" Her whisper stopped when she looked up to see Gaara's sleeping face. Izumi stared up at him in both confusion and astonishment. She pinched her own face, testing the reality of the situation. When she realized that this wasn't a dream, Izumi could do nothing but stare up in utter silence. Gaara. The most malevolent force known to man and demon alike.

_And he's holding me…._

She continued to look up at his face. He looked so serene when he slept. Not at all like the Gaara she had fought only yesterday. Izumi looked over Gaara's muscular chest (which was extremely tempting) to find Yuri chewing on what looked like burnt rabbit by the wall of the cave. Yuri looked up in acknowledgement of her, but continued to eat his breakfast. Her stomach rumbling, Izumi thought that she would get up and make herself and Gaara some breakfast as well. She tried to push herself gently up, only to find that she was locked to Gaara. His arms were laced around her back, keeping her from moving very far.

_I wonder why he's even near me still…. _And then it hit her like a freight train. _He must have calmed me down during the nightmare._

Tears formed in Izumi's eyes as a small smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you, Sabaku no Gaara." She leaned up to place the softest kiss on Gaara's pale cheek. It was the least she could do for the cold-hearted man who had warmed her so. Wiping the unshed tears away, she gently pulled herself out of Gaara's grip. Turning to Yuri, she motioned him to follow her as she left the cave. When she got far enough away, she looked down at her little friend. "What happened last night?"

Yuri stared up at Izumi, a softness in his bright yellow eyes. _"He held you while you thrashed and cried. Since all you did was knock me clear to the other side of the cave with your flailing hands." _The small leopard sat back to scratch his chin. _"You know, you're a lot stronger than you appear to be."_

Izumi laughed softly, tapping Yuri's hind end with her foot. "Alright, let's go find something edible…"

Gaara awoke to the smell of spiced meat filling his lungs. The warmth of a fire caressed his skin. Rising to a sitting position, Gaara looked around to find Izumi on her knees turning a long stick with two skinned rabbits over the fire. The instant she turned her bright gaze to meet his, images of the night before flooded him. He could swear he still felt her light form in his arms; her satin skin beneath his finger tips.

"Yuri and I caught some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

When Gaara just stared blankly, Izumi felt her patience begin to thin.

"Are you hungry?"

Still, he stared at her, not a word spoken.

Izumi's hands balled into fists. "Look, all you have to say is 'yes' or 'no.' I hate mimes…" She muttered the last under her breath. Again, Gaara said nothing. It seemed as if he was deliberately pushing her buttons.

It was working.

"You know what? Fine!" Izumi got to her feet. "I was just trying to apologize for our introduction and make you breakfast, but I can see that you're just going to be a dick about it." She turned to the entrance of the cave. "Yuri, come on. We'll go find another place to stay." Izumi began to stomp out of the cave.

"Yes."

Izumi stopped abruptly, turning on her heels. "What?"

"Yes, I'm hungry."

Izumi's eyes narrowed. "So then eat. Its sitting right there and you didn't even have to fix it. You obviously don't need, let alone _want_ me to eat with you, so I'll leave you in peace." But that wasn't what she really wanted to do. No. What she really wanted to do was crawl over to the sexy piece of ass sitting by the fire and seductively feed him his breakfast. Oh yeah… Dreams were great.

Gaara watched Izumi for a moment. Her figure was lit by the morning sun, making her peach skin glow. Fiery hair outlined and framed her small round face, setting off her mysterious sapphire-emerald eyes. Although he didn't want to admit it, Izumi was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. It would be nice to be able to hold a woman for once in his life. Just like he had seen Naruto with Hinata, and Sasuke with Sakura. How nice it would be….

He let these thoughts go, however, setting his mind back to being distant. "I can't eat two rabbits. You might as well stay and eat one with me." Damn, he sounded sort of nice.

Izumi's jaw dropped a degree. "Oh my God! Did you just speak to me? And in a full sentence that consisted of more than three words that weren't insults?!"

It took everything Gaara had to hold back a smile. A smile. It was the first time that he had ever even thought about _thinking_ about smiling. And it rocked him to his core. There was something about this girl that tore at his very control. But what…?

"Don't push your luck, kitten." He had meant for it to be mean sounding, but it had somehow come out gentle. To make up for it, he reached for a rabbit. "If you don't want to eat it, then I'll just feed it to the coyotes."

Izumi stood speechless for a moment. Was there a hint of kindness in Gaara's voice? No, no way. Her attention was brought back to reality by his threat to get rid of her food. "Oh, hell no you won't!" She plopped down beside Gaara, snatching the other rabbit from the stick. "I'll be damned if you give away my meat! Do you now how hard these were to catch!?"

_"You didn't even catch them."_

Izumi glared over at Yuri, who sat licking his paw, his bright yellow eyes on her. _"I helped okay! Who has the opposable thumbs, here?" _Izumi taunted him.

Yuri laughed softly in her mind, mentally kissing her. _"Whatever you believe, my beloved."_

Izumi giggled, but stopped instantly when she saw Gaara staring at her. She stared at the floor and took a chomp out of the rabbit meat. _Well, if he didn't think I was insane before, I bet he will now..._

Gaara watched Izumi carefully. By the way she looked at the demon-cat, he could tell that they were communicating in some way, probably through telepathy. It was intriguing to him the relationship the girl and demon had. Then he looked at Yuri closely, his eyes wandering over his leopard rosettes. He looked exactly like a miniature leopard, nothing more. So why was he a grotesque, demonic creature when he shifted forms? Maybe he was a hybrid, just like Izumi. Maybe that was what drew them so close together. Gaara figured that this was a likely conclusion and decided to clarify.

"Is he a half-breed?"

Izumi looked up from her meal at Gaara. "What?"

"The demon. Is it a half-breed?"

Izumi looked over at Yuri, debating on whether to answer the question or not. When Yuri gave her a curt nod, Izumi began to weave the story of Yuri. "Yes. His mother was a Royal leopard; his father was an Abyss leopard. Takeda, his demon father, accidently fell through a portal in his Hell realm into our world. When he fell, he was attacked by the Royal leopard clan and Yuri's mother, Miaka, saved him from a very degrading death. She was an unmated Queen, and they fell in love instantly." Izumi sighed.

"One day, when I was young, I found his father bloody on the ground, cuddled around Miaka's lifeless body." Unshed tears burned in her eyes. "Takeda looked up at me; his eyes were just dimly glowing. I could tell that it was taking everything he had to keep himself alive. His body was torn even more that it was in his normal form. Takeda looked down, and with one of his ripped paws, pushed something small and fuzzy toward me.

"I remember him grunting softly to me, as if he was pleading. I could do nothing but bend over and look at the small fuzzball on the ground. When I saw that it was a leopard kitten, I picked him up. I was going to ask Takeda what he wanted me to do with it, but when I turned to him, he was already gone; curled around his mate in the embrace of death." Izumi smiled softly as a tear trickled down her cheek, looking lovingly over at Yuri, who watched with glassy yellow eyes. "I decided that no matter what, I would make sure that he would survive and named him Yuri, after the month I found him in."

Gaara watched Izumi as she told the detailed story of the origin of the demon and its relations to her. He could sense that it took a lot for her to tell the story without breaking down. He could see that there was real love and affection between the two cast-out creatures. It made Gaara wonder what if felt like. Love. Adoration. Words he could never truly understand the meaning to. Words that haunted him every second of the day.

Izumi wiped the tears from her cheeks before looking up at Gaara. She gave him a smile so sweet he thought he could taste sugar in his mouth. With those big, innocent eyes and that sexy, seductive smile, Gaara wouldn't doubt that Izumi could knock a man flat on his ass. She was amazing in both body and mind. Beautiful inside and out. And it scared him to know just how she was affecting him so quickly. That's the whole reason he had tried to get away from her in the first place.

They sat in silence for a while, finishing off the meat. When he was done, Gaara rose to his feet. He reached down to grab his coat and his gourd, securing them to his back.

"Thank you." And then Gaara walked out the entrance of the cave.

Before he could even get twenty feet away from the cave, Izumi ran after him, leaping in front of him and stopping him from progressing further. Gaara stared down at Izumi, whose eyes shined with mischief and controversy. It took every bit of discipline and strength he had not to reach out and touch her soft, satin skin.

"I hope you don't think that I'm gonna let you just walk away from me." Izumi gave him a soul shaking smile. "I'm not gonna let you leave me here. I'm going with you where ever you're going."

Gaara felt his cock throb in response to the sound of Izumi's sweet taunt. He tried his best to keep his face expressionless as he spoke. "Get out of my way, kitten, I'm leaving."

Izumi put her hands to her hips, her eyes shining fire. "Make me, pretty boy."

Again, Gaara had to bite his tongue hard in order to maintain some sort of stability. "I don't care how cute you think you are, I _will_ move you out of my way if I have to. Now move."

"Ooooh! I'm just shaking in my boots, I'm so scared." She waved her hands in the air in sarcasm. "Come on, Gaara, not everyone is scared of you."

Gaara gave Izumi a very weak, menacing smile. "You're the first to say that, kitten. Now either get out of my way, or I'll move you myself."

"Make me."

"Fine." Gaara reached out and caught Izumi around the waist. He threw her over his left shoulder and began walking toward a tree in hopes of tying her up.

Izumi flailed against Gaara, smacking her fists into his back and shoulder repeatedly. "What the hell do you think you're doing you dick weed!?" When Gaara didn't put her down, she bent her head and bit down on his neck, her small fangs breaking skin.

Gaara lost it. He locked his hands on each side of Izumi's waist and slammed her back against the tree. He groaned when Izumi bit down harder, her nails digging into his shoulders. She growled against his neck, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.

"I'll kill you if you don't let me go. I'm not scared of you, Gaara."

Gaara's breath was ragged when he spoke next. "Then I guess I'll have to work on that." He reached up with one hand and tangled his fingers in Izumi's fiery hair, his other hand gripping her waist, holding her against the tree. He tugged at her hair, and when she bit down harder, he ripped her off of him.

Izumi felt Gaara drag her from his neck by her hair. It wasn't as painful as she thought it should have been, but rather pleasing in a masochistic way. The tingling in her scalp spread through her body until she was shivering from it. Izumi looked up to lock gazes with Gaara, who stared back with a heady lust in his eyes. Fire licked across her skin as his eyes seared through her soul, rocking the earth beneath her. She felt a little of Gaara's blood trickle down her lips just before he tilted his head to hers.

Gaara felt the strain in his pants at the sight of his blood dripping down Izumi's full, lush lips. He couldn't resist leaning down and gently licking the blood away. His tongue lapped softly at her lips, taking the sweet crimson into his mouth. Before he could pull away from her, Izumi wrapped her arms around his neck and locked him to her, her tongue darting out and entering Gaara's parted lips.

Gaara thought he might get high off the taste of Izumi. Her tongue danced with his, spiking through his mouth, rubbing gently against his. She tasted of strawberries and cream. Sweet and delicate. Innocent. Sexy. Unable to stop himself, Gaara kissed her back with fierceness, grabbing at her with want. His hand began to wander along her thigh, beneath her torn skirt. Izumi moaned against his mouth, sending a tingling feeling down his spine. His fingers delved further up her skirt until they met with warm, wet flesh. Gaara groaned at the feel of the wet cream coating his fingers. Reaching further still, he brushed against Izumi's wet cleft, reveling in the shudder he felt go through her.

Izumi couldn't breathe as Gaara's fingers toyed with her swollen lips. Her hands gripped at his neck, keeping him locked to her in a deep kiss. When he kept playing with her, his fingers simply caressing her wet folds, Izumi wondered if he had ever touched a woman before. Thinking about another woman with her hands on him sent a pang of jealousy through her. She would be damned if any other female touched him. She'd tear them apart.

Reaching down gently, Izumi placed her small hand over Gaara's large one. She smiled against his lips before moving his fingers in the direction of her burning core, where she wanted his touch most. His fingers dipped into her flesh, through her lips, brushing against her clit. Izumi arched her back against Gaara as his fingers drew circles around her entrance before he pushed two inside her.

Izumi swore she saw stars.

Gaara held Izumi against the tree as his fingers slowly worked her core. She was hot and tight around his fingers, her muscles clamping down on him as she arched against him. He watched as she closed her eyes against the pleasure, murmurs of pleasure leaving her lips, fueling his own desire. Gaara's fingers moved faster inside her, reaching deep within her until he found his fingers blocked by a thin wall.

_A virgin…._

Gaara stopped his movement, his mind swirling with thoughts and images. She was a virgin. Never touched. Innocent. Why would she give into him so easily, so willingly? Why would she be so giving in her untouched body, the only thing she could ever say was hers alone and no one else's? Gaara pulled back to look at Izumi. She stared at him with glassy eyes, sapphire mixing with a very bright emerald. She didn't look as if she regretted, or as if she didn't know what she was doing. In fact, Izumi looked as if she actually wanted him.

"Why…?" Gaara couldn't take his eyes away from Izumi bright gaze. "Why would you be so willing and easy for me, when you have never before been touched by another man of any kind? Why?"

Izumi's breathing was returning to normal as Gaara finished his question. She stared at him, wondering the same thing herself. What the hell was she doing? Never in her entire sixteen years of life had she ever even thought about having a man anywhere near her, let alone touch her. She didn't know why she wanted Gaara. She didn't know why she was so drawn to him, even though he was distant and cold.

"I don't know…." Izumi's eyes were bright and shiny in the light of the morning sun. She let her legs fall from Gaara's waist before pushing away from him. Tears burned her eyes, falling fast down her cheeks. "What am I doing?" She looked up at Gaara with sorrow and guilt. "I'm sorry…"

Gaara watched as Izumi broke away from him and ran as fast as she could into the dark forest, tears streaming from her eyes. Yuri followed closely behind her before turning to Gaara with the softest of growls. Just as she disappeared, Gaara felt something wet hit his arm. Looking down, he saw that it was one of Izumi's tears, glittering and warm. He looked up in the direction that Izumi ran in, his soul shaking. He couldn't eradicate the feeling of guilt. But there was no regret. No worry. He had wanted to touch Izumi just as much as she had wanted him to touch her. And he didn't regret it.

Wiping the tear gently from his arm, Gaara smiled softly at the thought of Izumi being sorry for giving him pleasure. He didn't care about showing malice and evil around her. He wanted her. Needed the smile on her face, her soft laughter. He needed her to make him feel as if he had a purpose on this Earth other than killing. It felt as if he had known her for years, not just two days. Gaara thought back to what the demon-cat had said to him when Izumi's littermate had attacked them and decided that he _would _take Izumi, and he _would _take care of her.

Gaara reached up to wipe the blood from the small bite marks on his neck. He looked at the deep ruby liquid on his fingers before placing them into his mouth, suckling the sweet life's blood from them. He smiled internally. He would have her no matter how far he had to go to get her.

AN: Well, I really hope you liked the fourth chapter of my fic! This was definitely my favorite chapter to write so far, and I hope you liked it enough to keep on reading. Please review! Criticism (so long as it's positive) and suggestions are always welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Of Demons and Humans

AN: I still don't own Naruto….But I wish I did. I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I had a good tangle with my mind trying to decide what direction I wanted to take with this. I've decided on this approach because I think it will be easier to ease into the love song of Gaara and Izumi. Enjoy!

Takiji leapt down from the branch he was on to stand in front of Orochimaru's cave. He stared at it with deep amber eyes. This was the place he had come to in search of power after his village had been destroyed. It was where he had learned that Izumi was still alive and growing into her demon powers. Orochimaru had told him that if he would bring Izumi back to him, he would give Takiji the power of a full demon, guaranteeing his place as a King in the eyes of the half demon woman he loved.

Flipping his long black hair over his broad shoulders, Takiji entered the cave. His eyes wandered around the moist walls. He could sense that someone was watching him, and when he scented the air, he knew exactly who it was.

"What do you want, Kabuto?" Takiji's demon eyes locked onto the figure hiding within the shadows of the cave.

Kabuto stepped forward, his silver hair glistening with the water along the walls. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, his eyes locked suspiciously on Takiji. "Going out trying to achieve a greatness you'll never have, half-breed?"

Takiji had to refrain from reaching out and tearing the throat from Kabuto's neck. When he spoke, his fangs gleamed at him. "Going out trying to kiss an ass that'll never notice you, four-eyes?"

Kabuto gave Takiji a malicious smile. "You know you'll never be a full demon; even if Orochimaru does give you the curse mark." He stared at the neko-demon through the glare in his glasses. "You're just going to die anyway."

Clenching his fists, Takiji growled deep in his chest. "If you don't stay out of my way, _human_, I'll kill you myself." With that, Takiji began his descent into the cave to go and see Orochimaru. He wasn't going to pay any attention to a human fool who knew nothing of the pains of being a true demon. Kabuto was worthless, and if Orochimaru would allow him, Takiji had no problem with tearing him limb from limb.

As Takiji walked down the last step, he came to a giant black door. The door was embroidered with large gold snakes that had deep red rubies for eyes. The stared down, almost as if at him, like guards, ready to strike and kill him. It was eerie that way the snakes seemed to watch his every move. A second later, the eyes of the snakes glowed red, the doors opening slowly with a creak. When they were fully open, Takiji stared into the dark room. The only light in Orochimaru's lair was that of a dimly lit fire off in the corner. He waited silently for invitation.

"You may enter, Cat."

Takiji cringed at the nickname Orochimaru used for him. He knew that it proved who was in control, and he hated knowing it wasn't him. "Yes, Master." And he entered the dim room, moving silently with the grace of a feline.

Orochimaru looked up from a clear chalice that held a deep ruby liquid. His oddly colored eyes met Takiji's amber gaze. "Have you found the girl?" His voice was quiet, but powerful.

Takiji stood silent for a moment before answering. "Yes, Master, I have."

"And?"

He hesitated. "She's being guarded by Sabaku no Gaara."

Orochimaru stared at his servant in a bit of surprise. Then he laughed softly. "The sand Biju, huh? And why would he be protecting a half-demon like her?"

Takiji's eyes followed movement behind Orochimaru to find a large python curled around a thick branch. He swallowed. "I'm not sure, Master. As far as I know, they have only been together a short while. He may not even know that he is protecting her from anyone." He remembered the look on Izumi's face when she had turned to Gaara. A look of longing. Of sadness. Takiji could never receive a look of love from her, so why that bastard. Why not him?

Orochimaru sipped the thick liquid from his goblet before speaking again. "I want you to find them. Watch them, nothing more. Report back to me with any interesting information." He smiled wickedly, his yellow eyes gleaming with the light of the fire. "Weaknesses are always welcome…."

Izumi felt the hot, sticky tears falling down her cheeks. She knew that she looked weak and helpless. She knew that she _was_ weak and helpless…when it came to Gaara. But why? Why did her body react with wet heat at the thought of him? Why did she feel as if she'd melt at the thought of Gaara's deep teal eyes looking over her? Why did she feel as if she had known him all her life, not only just two days? Why?

Izumi stopped in the middle of the path she had been running on and fell to her knees. She stared up through the canopy of trees to the light of the sun, tears streaming down her face like tiny waterfalls.

"Daddy….Please help me. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I don't even know my own body." Izumi lifted her hands, looking at them and how small they were. She whispered softly into the morning, "I don't know what's happening to me. Daddy help me…."

"Oh, I'll help you all right."

Izumi turned with a yelp to find three giant men staring at her, hungry looks on their faces. "What the hell do you want?"

The biggest of the men stepped forward. "Take your clothes off and that'll be a start." He laughed and turned to the other two men. "What do ya say, boys? You think she's tight enough Hiko?"

The tall skinny man, Hiko, answered back, "She seems small enough. I bet she's tight as fuck, Matsune. You, Tomo?"

The fat one answered, "Oh, yeah. Cute little girl. I'm already hard."

Izumi froze in place as memories assaulted her. She tried her best to scream, but fear stole the sound from her, holding her in its iron grip. Her eyes were wide and bright with tears. She didn't know where the memories came from; why they came to her. Izumi tried to scream again as the biggest man, Matsune reached for her.

"Come here, you little- AUGH!"

Izumi watched as Yuri leapt up, his sharp fangs shredding skin on the man's hand. Yuri growled loudly, shaking his head and taking a chunk of meat out of Matsune's hand as he tore away and landed on the ground. _Yuri, no!_ Izumi tried to scream, to call out to her friend, but still her voice was silent.

"You little bastard! I'll fucking kill you!" Matsune pulled a small sickle from his side and took a slash at Yuri.

Thankfully, Yuri was able to leap out of the way of the blade. As he jumped though, he didn't see that the skinny one, Hiko, was standing behind Matsune, a kunai raised. Hiko brought the blade down, connecting with Yuri's shoulder. Blood flew from the deep wound as Yuri roared and smacked into a tree. His limp body slid down onto the ground, where his blood began to pool around him.

"NOOOO!" Izumi rose, strength filling her, rage coursing through her blood. She stood, her eyes glowing a deep, dark blue. Her body began to contort, bones crackling, snapping, reshaping. Her skin began to itch, dark yellow fur bursting through soft skin. Long canines erupted in her mouth, a muzzle taking the place of her lush lips. Sharp talon claws took the place of her nails as Izumi finally came into her were-leopard form. She raised her rosette covered head to the sky and let out a terrible, inhuman scream.

The men looked on in horror at the creature before them. Matsune was the first to speak. "Kill it! Kill it! Don't let it get away!"

The demon Izumi bent her head; her lips peeling back to reveal long, sharp teeth. Her dark blue eyes were set on the men before her, and as soon as the fat one made a move, she leaped off her large, feline legs into the air. She came down on Tomo with pure power, swiping him with her outstretched arm, ripping flesh from his chest until it met with bone. Tomo's scream was gurgled by the blood that rose through his throat, spilling out of his mouth. Izumi reached out again and shot her clawed hand through his ribcage, gripping and extracting his still-beating heart. Tomo hit the ground in a puddle of blood and meat.

Izumi turned to the other two then, crushing the heart in her hand, blood raining from it. She growled, her eyes locking onto the tall skinny man that was running toward her, kunai in each of his hands. She crouched down on all fours and began running back at Hiko, her ears laid back. Hiko tried to stop and move out of the way, but was all too late. Izumi took a giant leap, pinning the man to the ground. She held his shoulders down with her front claws and began to rip and tear at his stomach with her hind legs. Blood flew everywhere as Izumi dug, flinging intestine, bone, and multiple organs out of his body. Hiko convulsed one last time before he finally fading, spewing up blood before lying limp beneath the giant were-leopard.

The were-Izumi stood up then, throwing torn flesh and meat off her claws. As she went to turn to Matsune, something pierced her back, sending pain shooting through her. She threw back her head, roaring in rage as Matsune ripped his sickle from Izumi's shoulder. She turned to slash at the man, only to realize that the arm he had hit was now limp and useless. Izumi roared at this before reaching out with her other arm. She was too slow, however, and Matsune dodged her, jumping to the side out of the way.

Matsune laughed maniacally. "You stupid bitch! You'll die here!" He raised his sickle over his head.

Just before the blade would have made contact with Izumi's skull, something flew past her, striking Matsune right between the eyes. He went down with a crash into the blood soaked earth. Izumi watched him as he twitched, his body convulsing. Blood seeped out of his lips, his eyes wide in shock. He hadn't even known what hit him. She went to turn her head, but the pain in her shoulder was too great, and it sent her toppling to the ground.

The were-leopard began to morph, shrinking in size until Izumi lay naked and sobbing. Her shoulder was torn to the bone, blood oozing from the wound as she tried to move. She tried to crawl to where Yuri lay bleeding, but something stopped her. A gentle hand rested one her back holding her in place.

"Don't move. I can heal your wound."

The voice was unfamiliar, but male. Definitely masculine. Izumi tried to turn her head. "Yuri…needs help…"

The hand moved over her shoulder, pain slicing through her back. "Shh. Don't worry, I'll take care of him next. Now hold still." A light heat began to cover Izumi's wound. The torn flesh began to repair, new muscle and tissue forming until the deep gash was closed and healed perfectly.

When the pain disappeared, Izumi looked up to see someone leaning over Yuri. The man held his glowing hand over Yuri's ripped shoulder. She watched in astonishment as the wound healed, leaving no trace of one ever being there. The man stood up.

"He'll be fine after he sleeps a while. You should do the same, Izumi."

Before Izumi could reply, she felt a feather fall onto her hand. She felt herself drifting into sleep, but tried her best to fight it off. Just as she fell into unconsciousness, she looked up to see the man. He had glasses, and platinum silver hair that was tied back. She saw that he wore the headband of a Sound Nin. Izumi stared up in confusion. _How does he know my name….? _And then she slipped into a deep sleep.

Kabuto looked Izumi over. She lay naked, sprawled out on the ground, her hand reaching out for the small demon cat. Her hair was spread out around her face like a halo of golden fire, her skin pale against the dark soil of the earth. He could hardly believe that this tiny, delicate woman was the spawn of one of the most powerful entities in the history of all time. She looked so innocent and sweet. So fragile. Kabuto reached out to touch her soft looking skin.

Gaara felt Izumi's chakra go dead silent. His heart skipped a beat before he began running in the direction he had felt her in. Breaking through branches and running through bushed, he finally came to a stop to find Izumi lying naked on the ground, someone crouching over her. Rage rushing through him, the cork to his gourd flew off, sand erupting out of it and flying toward whoever was beside her.

Kabuto had a split second to jump out of the way of Gaara's sand before it impaled him. He hit the ground hard, glaring over at the red headed boy as he came out of the forest, his sand covering Izumi like a shield.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing touching her!?" Gaara's anger burst from his soul at the thought of Kabuto touching Izumi's naked flesh. "Where's your master, lap dog?"

Kabuto looked thoughtfully at Gaara. "I was only passing through. I saw she was hurt and fixed her. Why would you even care, 'Coon?" He looked down at the sand surrounding Izumi. _So Gaara really is protecting her…How interesting… _He pushed his glasses up on his nose.

Gaara glared menacingly at Kabuto. "Don't ever call me that, wretch." He stepped forward, looking over at Yuri lying unconscious. He turned back to Kabuto. "What have you done?"

Kabuto sniffed indignantly. "I told you, she was hurt, so I healed her. Just look around, Gaara."

Gaara did. He saw three bodies lying on the ground. Two of the bodies were torn to shreds, meat hanging out of their chests' and stomach. The third one just lay still, blood seeping from his mouth, his eyes wide in shock. When Gaara turned his attention back to Kabuto, he was gone. Gaara looked around suspiciously, looking for any sign of Orochimaru's personal assassin. When there was no sign of him anywhere, Gaara walked to where Izumi lay.

His sand pulled back, sliding back into his gourd in silence. He stared down at Izumi, who seemed to be sleeping soundly. Gaara pulled his gourd off his back and set it on the ground. His coat 

quickly followed. He laid his dark coat over Izumi's naked back and rolled her into his arms. He covered her bare chest and wrapped the overly large coat around her small body. Her face was smudged with dirt, her skin pale from apparent loss of blood. Fury gripped him at the thought of someone hurting her, let alone touching her naked body. The image of Kabuto reaching out to brush her skin angered him further.

"You are mine. No one else will touch you. No one else will hurt you. I'll make you my Queen." Gaara leaned down and placed the softest of kisses on Izumi's cheek. A small smile tugged at his lips as she purred softly, turning into him, her head snuggling against his chest. Her tiny fingers flexed, reaching out and gripping at the strap to Gaara's gourd. He couldn't help the smile that came to him. "It hasn't even been two hours and already I'm saving your cute little ass." He bent down to pick up the unconscious Yuri and set him over his left shoulder. "Come on, kitten, let's get you some clothes." With that, Gaara began his short journey into the closest village- Suna.

Kabuto watched from a distance as Gaara began taking Izumi in the direction of Suna. He knew that there would be question as to why Gaara carried a naked girl and a miniature leopard in his arms. He wondered what the reaction to the young Kazakage would be. Kabuto pushed his glasses up further on his nose as he contemplated reporting to Orochimaru or not. No. He would let Gaara and Izumi weave their story, and he would simply watch them from the distance.

"I'll be damned if that puny half-breed Takiji is allowed power that I am not." He turned on his heels then and headed back to Orochimaru's lair.

AN: Welp, I hope you liked this chapter enough to keep on reading to my next chapter. I can already tell you that if you don't enjoy comical romance that involves the 'cold hearted' Gaara, don't read on (I hate the people that get mad because you tweak the personality of a character to fit a story). There probably isn't going to be any of my gore scenes, but there will be a little eroticism! Yayness! Please review! I always enjoy reading them!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Trouble's Daughter

AN: Still don't own Naruto. This was an extremely fun chapter to write! I actually finished this in less than two hours! (Wish I could do that with my Algebra homework….) –lol- Please enjoy! If you've read the story thus far, I really think you're gonna love this chapter!

Izumi came awake to the smell of spiced ham. It filled her lungs with pleasure. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hands. The light of the morning sun shined in her eyes, making them glitter brightly. Suddenly, memories of earlier hit her hard. "Yuri!" Izumi turned quickly, looking about the room until she found her gaze lingering on her little friend. Yuri was curled up in a ball, lying in what looked like a literal cat-cradle, snoring and purring. She sighed in relief.

For the first time, Izumi realized that she wasn't anywhere near her own room or the cave. She lay on a giant bed with red and black silk sheets. A wide, fancy canopy enveloped the bed. She looked to her right to see a giant doorway that led to an open balcony. Deciding she wanted to know exactly where she was, Izumi rolled out of the comfortable bed she was in. As she stood up, she felt something dragging against her calves. She looked down and gasped.

"Who the hell would put me in a goddamned dress?"

"Actually, Gaara would."

Izumi turned to the feminine voice that spoke behind her to find a young woman about her age standing in the doorway to the room. She was tall, with four blonde pig-tails on her head and short bangs. She wore a Suna headband and a light lavender and silver fighting dress covered her curved body. She held what looked like a giant fan on her back. Izumi stared at the girl in interest. She sniffed the air, and when the scent of the woman came back to her, she was astonished.

_"She's his sister."_

Izumi turned her head to find Yuri staring at the girl as well, his bright yellow eyes wary. _"Do you think she's anything to worry about?"_

Yuri contemplated for a moment. _"No, I don't think so. She smells of arrogance and wild sex, but nothing more." _He scratched his chin. _"I'm more interested in the smell of the food."_

Izumi smiled and blushed slightly_. "And how exactly do you know that she's had sex?"_

_"Look at her skin and hair. Her lips are still raw and swollen from kissing. Her skin has a pink tint, and her hair has just been put up. Simple as that."_

Izumi stood kind of baffled for a moment. _"She might have just gotten out of the bath."_

_"She smells of male."_

_"Oh…."_

_"Yeah. Kind of like the way you smelled after the tree incident with Gaara…"_

Izumi's face grew red hot. _"I swear to God, if she weren't in here I'd toss your ass off that damned balcony!" _She glared at him. _"And I didn't have sex with him…."_

_"Might as well have…."_

Temari watched Izumi and Yuri with interest. Gaara had told her that they could communicate telepathically, but she hadn't believed it. Now she thought about it a little more. "Gaara is out for the morning, and he wanted me to make sure you had a decent meal, seeing as you've been asleep for about two days now."

Izumi squeaked. "What!? Are you freakin' serious?"

Temari smiled slightly. "Yes, I am. Now, there are clothes in the closet over there. I picked them out myself, so you won't have to worry about whether Gaara has a sense of style or not. I'll wait at the door. When you're finished, I'll take you to your meal." With that, Temari turned and stepped out of the room.

Izumi turned to Yuri. "Two days? Two freakin' days?" She smacked herself in the forehead. "Well that's just wonderful. Just great."

_"There's no point in pouting now, my beloved."_ Yuri leapt down from his bed into Izumi's arms. He reached up and gave her an Eskimo kiss. _"Let's just get you dressed and head out. I'm really hungry."_

Izumi kissed Yuri's nose. "Alright. I guess you're right." She turned to the closet and set Yuri on the ground in front of it. "Now, let's see what we have in here…"

She was floored by what was in the closet. "Oh my damn…" There were at least twenty different outfits to choose from, all fighting wear. Most all of the clothing was black, red, or a sand color. Izumi figured it was because of the heat of the desert. "Which reminds me! We're in the land of sand…S…S…"

_"Suna."_

"Thank you. Which is where Gaara is from. Hmm… I wonder how big his house his…"

_"Well, if you would get your big ass dressed, we could go find out. And get some grub, too…" _He nudged Izumi's calves toward the clothing.

"Excuse me! I am not big, just filled out, thank you very much."

_"You're a bubble butt…"_

"Oh, shut up and go nibble on the comforter or something." Izumi began to rummage through the closet until she found the perfect outfit. "Hello, Sexy Kitten!" She then proceeded to peel the dress of her body and replace it with the other outfit. When she was done, she looked at Yuri. "What do you think?" The top was a strapless, thick band that wrapped around and covered just Izumi's breasts with one metal plate to cover her left breast. There were just random wraps of bandages over her flat stomach. She had a matching set composed of a dark red gauntlet and shin guard on her left arm and leg. She wore a split, sand colored skirt that covered her below the waist in the front and in the back, leaving the sides of her legs bare for easy movement. Her heel boots gave her only an inch more of height, but hey, an inch is an inch. "Come on, what do ya think?"

Yuri danced around Izumi for a minute, looking her up and down. Once he was done, he stood in front of her. _"Are you sure Gaara didn't pick this out?"_

Izumi looked down at her attire. "Well….It is a little revealing…."

Yuri looked to the door. _"You know what, I don't even care. Let's just get out of here so we can eat breakfast. I think my stomach is starting to implode."_

Izumi laughed at this. "Okay, okay, let's go." She headed over to the door and opened it. She found Temari waiting on the opposite side of the hallway, talking to a boy with a high pony-tail. _"So that's her lover…?"_

_"Smells like it to me."_

Temari turned to see Izumi and her small leopard creature. _Hmm…No wonder Gaara is so interested in her. I'd kill to have amble breasts like that and not be fat… _She stepped forward and held her hand out. "My name is Temari, Gaara's older sister. And this is Nara Shikamaru."

Izumi shook Temari's hand, all the while staring at Shikamaru. _"He was one of Gaara's companions at the school…"_

Yuri glared at Shikamaru as well. _"Yes…he is….And something tells me he's not the only one here…"_

"My name is Izumi. I'm sure Gaara has let you know what a smart ass I am, so we'll skip the introductions." She lifted her nose to the scent of the food. "May we please go eat? Yuri and I are really hungry."

Temari just blinked. "Well, sure. Follow me, then."

As they walked down the hallway in the direction of the food, Izumi and Yuri kept a close eye on Shikamaru. Every time he looked suspiciously at them, Yuri would growl softly and Izumi would glare right back. At one point, Izumi growled, too. Shikamaru seemed to take it in good stride, just watching her with interest.

"Here we are." Temari opened a large wooden door to reveal a long dining table covered in food. There were whole turkey's and spiced hams with eggs, bacon, and homemade pancakes with Suna's own maple syrup. Temari turned to speak to Izumi, her eyes closed professionally as she spoke. "Now, eat until your heart's content and after, I will take you on a tour of the mansion and when Gaara get's back-"

"Hey, got anymore?"

Temari opened her eyes and turned around to find Izumi and Yuri licking their fingers and paws. There wasn't a scrap of food left on the table. None. Zip. Nada. They'd even downed the giant pitcher of milk. Her eye twitched involuntarily. Shikamaru did the same beside her. "There's absolutely nothing left. Over twenty different dishes. Gone. What _are_ you two? Demons!?" Temari stomped over to the table and lifted up the bowl the syrup had been in. There wasn't any evidence that any had ever been there. "Nothing…." She looked up at Izumi, who stood with a smug smile on her face. "Not even our thirty guard jackals eat this much in one day, let alone in thirty seconds!" She turned to Shikamaru. "Can you believe this!?"

Izumi sniffed indignantly. "Look, we ate the food. We were hungry and you offered it to us. You told us to eat until our heart's we're content and we're still hungry. What's the problem with that?"

Temari's face flustered. "Well I was trying to be nice! I didn't think you would suck everything into your mouth in under a minute! I'm surprised you didn't eat the damned table cloth too! It's a wonder you're not the size of a horse!"

Izumi sighed, her patience with Temari beginning to thin. When Temari kept complaining, she picked up a spoon and set of piece of egg in it and launched it at Temari. It smacked her right between the eyes before slowly sliding down her nose.

"What the fuck!" Temari wiped at her face before glaring at Izumi, who stood with an ear to ear grin. "I'm gonna kill you!" She leapt across the table at Izumi.

"Oh, she was serious. Okay…" Izumi easily stepped out of the way of Temari's outstretched hands. This seemed to enrage her further.

"What, do you think you're hot shit? Take this!" Temari brought her fan out from behind her back. She raised it above her head before bringing it, still closed, down on Izumi.

Izumi sighed before reaching up. She caught the closed fan in one hand, looking at Temari with a bored look. "If this is a test of strength, I don't need a weapon." She lifted her leg and kicked Temari in the stomach, sending her flying backward. Izumi threw the large fan toward Shikamaru. "You're her lover, you take care of her." She turned to walk out of the room.

Shikamaru stared at Izumi as she began to walk away. How the hell could she possibly know that he and Temari were lovers? Before he had a chance to ask or say anything, he saw Temari jump to her feet and charge Izumi. He watched at Temari went to tackle Izumi, only to be caught in the chest with Izumi's fist. Temari didn't give in, however, and socked Izumi in the jaw with her own punch.

Izumi's head never moved. She took the hit as if it was of no pain. In fact, Izumi looked more irritated than anything. Temari reached out to punch her again. Izumi grabbed Temari's fist in her own. "What the fuck are you…?"

"The prodigy of two worlds." Izumi began to crush Temari's fist in her own. "Now are you quite done? This is getting annoying."

Temari's anger smoldered. "No! I'm not done you dumb bit-OOWWW!" Izumi tightened her grip and was crushing Temari's hand.

Shikamaru decided that it was time he stepped in. "Let Temari go or I'll make you myself."

Izumi tilted her head in the direction of the boy. "Fine. You can have her." With little effort, Izumi pulled Temari closer before tossing her clear across the room toward Shikamaru with one hand. "This is boring. Come on Yuri, let's go see if we can find some venders on the street." Just as she was halfway to the door, Izumi felt something tugging at her, nearly stopping her. She looked around until she found Shikamaru with his hands in sign for jutsu. His shadow was extended across the room to her.

"I'm not gonna let you get away after hurting Temari like that." Shikamaru tried to make Izumi walk to him, but realized that it was he who was coming to her. His jutsu wasn't working. "What the hell!?" It was the first time Shikamaru was actually a bit frightened in any way.

Izumi simply stared at Shikamaru in disinterest. "Any jutsu that is based on taking over any aspect of my physical or emotional being doesn't work." She pulled herself away from his shadow, which receded back to his body, then began walking back out of the room. As she came close to the door, though, it opened, and the other companions of Gaara's came into the room, stopping her from leaving. They looked around and stared at her for a moment before looking over to where Shikamaru stood in shock and Temari sat panting and bruised.

Naruto looked from Shikamaru and Temari to Izumi. "What the hell happened here!?"

Izumi yawned. "They got in my way. Now _you're_ in my way, and I want out."

"You hurt my friends and you think I'm gonna let you out!"

Kankuro stepped in behind Naruto with Sasuke just then. "What's going on?" He was answered when he looked to see Shikamaru and Temari in the shape they were in across the room. He turned his attention to Izumi. "What the fuck do you think you're doing messing with my sister and Shikamaru!?" Kankuro reached behind his back to pull a three eyed puppet to him. "I'll take care of you."

Izumi watched as the puppet was released from its bandages. It looked truly alive as it came after her from its strings, kunai shooting out of the puppet's wooden hands. She didn't move, didn't step away as the kunai pierced her shoulders. The pain was sharp but quick. She looked up at the face of the 

puppet, which seemed to be laughing at her. "Laugh at this, bitch!" Izumi grabbed the puppet by the arms and ripped them from its body.

"No! Karasu!" Kankuro pulled the pieces of his puppet to him. He looked down at Karasu, who looked devastated and hurt. He looked back at Izumi. The wounds Karasu had left on her were bleeding profusely, but as he looked closer, he saw that they were slowly closing. "What the hell….?"

Sasuke stepped past Naruto, who stood in just as much shock as Kankuro and Shikamaru. He looked Izumi over. He walked over to her and stood just in front of her. "You're not human, are you."

Izumi glared up at the boy called Sasuke. "Not completely. Now get out of my way."

Sasuke reached out to touch the solid flesh where one of Izumi's wounds had been. This was a mistake.

As soon as Sasuke's fingers touched her skin, Izumi went crazy. She shot her hand out and back handed him, sending him flying into Kankuro. "DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME!" She went to leap toward Naruto, who stood shaking, his deep blue eyes wide in fear. Before she could swipe at him with her clawed fingers, something coarse wrapped itself around her body. She looked down to find that it was sand. "No!" She twisted her head around to find Gaara standing by the door, his arm outstretched, sending the sand after her. "Gaara…"

He had seen everything from Kankuro's beating to Sasuke reaching out to her. Gaara knew why Izumi had snapped. She would never let a man touch her. She feared men. Loathed them. And he knew that she had perfectly good reasons. He pulled her toward him with his sand, and when he let her go, he could never have been totally prepared for her reaction.

Izumi flung herself into Gaara's arms, her small frame fitting into his broad one. Her nails dug into his back as she held onto him for dear life. "I don't want him touching me…." She glared in the direction of the others as they stared back at her and Gaara.

Gaara was shocked, but let the warmth in his body spread. He wrapped his arms around her and stared at his friends. "You should get cleaned up. There are rooms for each of you." He then reached down and lifted Izumi into his arms. "Come on, kitten, let's see what kind of trouble you'll cause today."

Izumi smiled softly as Gaara began to carry her up stairs. He walked down a hallway until he came to a giant door with what looked like a giant raccoon on it. He used his foot to shove one side of the door open. Gaara walked in and shut the door behind him before carrying Izumi over to his giant bed and sitting down on it, Izumi cradled in his lap. Yuri had followed them in made himself at home, perching himself on a window sill and closing his eyes.

Gaara lifted his hand to tuck Izumi's bangs behind her ear. "You know, you really have a way with trouble." A small smile tugged at his lips. "I almost wonder if I could ever tame you."

Izumi gently punched Gaara's shoulder. "Don't count on it, sand boy."

"Welcome to my home, kitten."

And then it hit her. Izumi scrambled off Gaara's lap. "Welcome to your home!? What, has this all just been an attempt to get me here so you can fuck my brains out or something? Cause I'll tell you now, just because you're super sexy and have a nice ass and can kiss like nobody's business doesn't mean that I like you! I'm not easy, you know!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at Gaara.

Gaara laughed. He actually laughed. And though the sound was foreign to him, he liked the warmth it sent through his body. "You really must be trouble's daughter." He stood up from the bed and walked over to Izumi. "I got something for you." He reached into his belt and pulled out a sand brown collar with a decent sized gold bell and small gold spikes on it. "May I put it on you?"

Izumi eyed the collar warily. "Depends. Did you get it because you thought it would be pretty on me or because you thought it was kinky?" She heard Yuri burst out laughing in her head. She quickly glared in his direction to shut him up.

Gaara couldn't help laughing again. He walked over to Izumi and placed the collar on her neck, snapping it in the back. He pulled back to look at her. "I think it's beautiful on you. Perfect for an innocent little kitten who can't help getting into trouble all the time."

Izumi tried not to smile or laugh. It was hard as hell. "It's not my fault. It all started when I met you." She huffed and pushed out her hip. "Besides, you know you like it."

Yes. Yes he did. And she would never know exactly how devastating an effect she had on him. Gaara sighed. "If I take you on a tour of my palace, will you promise to behave?"

"I knew you got this collar for a reason…." Izumi glared at him, and then laughed sweetly. "Yes, I will. So long as none of your friends or your sister get in my way again."

Gaara smiled. "Yeah…I guess I forgot to tell them that you were a little stronger than you looked."

Izumi slugged Gaara in the shoulder again, only this time hard enough to make him wince. "Hmph. I could kick your ass and eat my breakfast at the same time."

"Yeah, if you didn't break down or get all emotional in the process." When Izumi went to slug him again, Gaara caught her small fist in his hand. "I think we should get going before you tear the hell out of my room. I don't want it to look like my dining room."

Izumi blushed. "Sorry about that…"

Gaara began to walk toward the door, Izumi's tiny hand still in his. She followed him, close by his side. He looked down at her to see her blushing slightly, the sweetest smile on her round little face. He stopped in his tracks, his hand tightening on Izumi's when she tried to turn away. Gaara stared into her beautiful sapphire entwined emerald eyes before tilting his head and laying the softest of kisses on her lush lips. He pulled back and began to walk back down the hallway, letting go of her hand.

Izumi stood in shock for a moment after Gaara gave her the tenderest kiss in the world. She watched as he began to walk away as if nothing had ever happened. "Hey! Wait up!" She ran to catch him, hooking her arm through his. "Don't you dare think I'm gonna let you get away!" And so she went with him where ever he went through the house, never really paying attention to what he explained, but the smile and happiness she saw for the first time since she met him in his deep teal eyes…

Dark amber cat eyes watched from a distance through the window of an old building. Takiji's claws flexed as he saw Gaara bend to kiss the lips of a woman he didn't deserve. It should have been Takiji who kissed her. Not that worthless, pathetic Gaara. It took everything Takiji had not to take form and burst through the Kazekage's doors and tear him apart. How could Izumi fall in love with a creature as vile as Sabaku no Gaara? It was members of Suna that had hurt her to begin with. She was behind enemy lines. And he would kill Gaara before he let him have her.

Takiji turned his gaze from the sight of Izumi and Gaara to growl deep in his chest. He would take her, gain the power of a full demon, and make her his Queen. His and His alone….

AN: Well, I hope you liked this chapter! I absolutely loved to write it. I hope you liked it enough to keep on reading my story. I have really enjoyed this so far and I love the reviews. Please keep on telling me what you think! Until next time! Kitten kisses and a nip!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- For the Love of a Cat…

AN: I'm sorry it's taken longer to get this chapter up, but I've had a lot of work and babysitting to do. Of course, I don't own any aspect of Naruto, but if I did, it would be Gaara. If you've read the story thus far, I'm positive you'll like this chapter. It's a couple pages more lengthy than my previous chapters, but I couldn't stop! The idea kept me awake most of the night, and when I got up the next morning, the first thing I did after feeding my dog and kittens was write this chapter. For those of you who wanted to see more of Takiji…..Enjoy!

The tour of Gaara's mansion took just over an hour and Izumi was glad when it was finally over. She looked down at her feet to make sure they hadn't fallen off in the midst of the journey. "You know, you should really invest in a Nekomata or a horse…"

Gaara smiled slightly. "Out of shape are we?"

Izumi glared at Gaara, her eyes shining mischief. She placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "I am in the greatest shape of my life, thank you very much!"

_"Yeah right! The only exercise you get is the trip from the couch to the fridge!"_

"Why you!" Izumi reached down to yank on Yuri's ear. "I am too in good shape! I could kick an army's ass and still not breathe heavily!"

"Then why don't we test that theory."

Izumi looked up to see the four boys and Temari from earlier. All five of them had a grim, sour look on their face as they looked at Izumi. Kankuro had been the one to speak first, and now he spoke again.

"You know, it took me a solid hour to get Karasu's arms back into his body. But I think he's ready to kick your ass now." Kankuro glared at Izumi with dark, chocolate brown eyes.

Izumi simply stared back at the angry boy. "You were in my way. I moved you. Simple as that."

"Yeah, well do ya think you can move me again?"

"Yep."

Kankuro stared down at the smug girl called Izumi. She stood somberly with a bored look on her face. "Well then how about taking me on in the fighting ring?" He crossed his arms over his chest in a show of dramatics.

Izumi turned to Gaara. "If you don't have a brother after this…I'm not sorry." She waved her hand at him. "Welp, let's make this quick. Show the way."

The six of them followed Gaara as he led the way to the back of the mansion. When they stopped, they stood in front of an amazing arena surrounded by a rope fence. It was a sturdy dirt arena with markings around it. Izumi actually sucked in her breath. It was amazing all the nice things Gaara was able to have. She only wished she could have just a fraction of what he did…

"You ready or what?" Kankuro leaped over the rope into the dirt ring. He reached behind him to place a hand on the puppet he called Karasu.

Izumi flipped into the ring behind him, Yuri at her side. She looked down at him in confusion. _"You usually never fight with me when it comes to things like this? Why now…?"_

_"I figure I might as well show my worth so they don't start thinking they can just cuddle and kiss me. I'm tough too you know."_ Yuri's hackles stood up. _"Let's show them what we're made of, beloved."_

"Alright. Let's do this." Izumi rose to the tips of her feet, ready to make her move when she must. She didn't have to wait very long.

"Karasu! Take her down!" Kankuro ripped Karasu off his back, the bandages that held the puppet flying everywhere. Karasu held an oddly evil look on his face as he started dancing around. "Alright, Karasu. Finish her quickly!" The puppet leapt forward outstretching its arms toward Izumi.

"Do you really want to try this again?" Izumi jumped into the air, doing a flip in order to plant a powerful kick into the puppet's back. She landed with the grace of a sleek cat on the ground. "Hmph. Is that all you've-HOLY SHIT!" Karasu was right in front of her again, its three eyes staring angrily at her. Before she could make a move, Karasu reached out and stabbed Izumi's left arm, twisting the kunai in her flesh. She cried out, but didn't let it affect her much. "Yuri!" Izumi grabbed the puppet's arm, holding it in place while Yuri was engulfed in a dark blue light. When the light disappeared, he was once again in his grotesque, demonic form.

Karasu looked over at the large demon-cat at the same time everyone else did. Izumi swore the damn think sucked in its breath. Kankuro looked even more shocked than the puppet. "Yuri! Now, while I've got him!" It was too late to do anything when the puppet and its master realized what was about to happen. Yuri had already made his move, locking the puppets outstretched arm in his jaws and shaking the hell out of it. The giant cat shook one more time before tearing the wooden arm from the puppet's body. "What are ya gonna do now, ya damn piece of firewood!?"

Kankuro laughed, and creepily enough, so did the puppet. Izumi didn't have time to react when the arm that Yuri had in his mouth blew up. Izumi cried out to her friend, dropping the puppet and running over to the cloud of smoke. She waved her arms, trying to get it to disperse, and when it did, she actually felt a bit of fear. Yuri's eyes were glowing a dark, ruby red; anger smoldering in them as blood dripped from his mouth and face. Izumi reached out to touch him, but Yuri was drowned in his anger. The giant beast shook his head in rage before starting at a dead run at Karasu. Yuri tackled the puppet, rolling on the ground with him as he tore at him with his large fangs.

"No!" Kankuro started to run to save Karasu, but Izumi jumped into his way, stopping him from progressing further. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? Your fucking demon is gonna tear apart Karasu!" He reached out and grabbed Izumi by the shoulders. Bad move.

Izumi roared, her canines lengthening in her mouth. She shot out her hand, wrapping it around Kankuro's neck before tossing him to the other side of the ring into the ropes. He hit the ground with a loud thud. Izumi's body began to glow in the same manner as Yuri's had. "Yuri, cease." Her voice was soft, but powerful, radiating through the air. The demon-cat dropped the puppet, which was literally shaking. Izumi began to walk over to Kankuro, who lay on the ground, staring up at her with fear-filled eyes. She stopped in front of him and reached out to him with her hand.

Kankuro looked up in shock as Izumi reached to help him up. The light around her began to fade as he spoke. "What, not gonna kill me?"

Izumi's eyes swirled with sadness at Kankuro's reaction. Her voice held that sorrow when she spoke. "I'm not the demon everyone thinks I am. My father may have been a full demon, but he never acted like one." Unshed tears burned in her eyes. "If he did, he would have never fallen in love with my mother, a human." Izumi reached down and took Kankuro's hand before pulling him to his feet with easy strength.

Kankuro took Izumi's hand and got to his feet. A new found feeling of sympathy filled his heart. "Thank you..." But his thanks went unheard, as Izumi had already made her way over to Gaara and the others.

Gaara stood behind the ropes where the others looked on at Izumi. They stood in awe as she spoke of her father and mother. Naruto turned to him.

"So she's really a half demon?" The blonde couldn't help staring at the girl as she walked back over to where they stood. Naruto looked over at Yuri, who had picked up Karasu's mangled body in his jaws and brought him over to where Kankuro now stood by his friends. Karasu wiggled in Yuri's mouth, reaching up and bopping him on the nose with his wooden fist. Yuri growled and dropped the puppet unceremoniously onto the ground. The dark blue light engulfed the demon-cat once again, leaving the small, rosette covered leopard where the demon had stood. Yuri pranced over to Karasu one more time to turn and kick dirt in his face. Naruto swore the cat laughed as Karasu reached out again and tried to smack Yuri again.

Sasuke was the next to speak, walking up to Izumi, his face expressionless. He stopped in front of her when her eyes flashed a deep green. "I'm sorry about earlier this morning. I didn't realize that you didn't like to be touched by anyone other than Gaara."

Izumi couldn't decide whether she should reach out and strangle Sasuke or just rip the vocal cords from his throat. In the end, she thought neither option would fit the situation and just growled instead. "You're right. I don't." Izumi knew that having a sour attitude wasn't going to help anything, so 

instead of being a bitch, she expelled a long breath before opening her bright eyes and smiling sweetly. She held her hand out for Sasuke to shake. "Let's start over. My name is Izumi."

They all stood in utter shock. Sasuke looked down at Izumi's small open hand. Was she serious? He decided that he would accept her offer and took her hand in his. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto stepped forward then, pushing Sasuke aside and taking Izumi's hand in both of his. "And my name is Uzumaki Naruto! The Hokage in training!"

Izumi giggled. "Yeah… Good luck."

"Hey! Just what are you saying?" The blonde stood back and glared at Izumi.

"Just that you're a total ditz." Izumi reached up and flicked Naruto's forehead, making him wince.

Shikamaru was the next to step forward, but he didn't take the girl's hand. "Nara Shikamaru."

Since she knew Shikamaru wasn't going to approach her, Izumi took his hand. "I'm sorry about this morning. I guess I forgot to tell Gaara that those kinds of jutsus' don't work on me."

"What!?" Naruto's bright blue eyes went wide. "Jutsus' don't work on you!?"

Izumi smiled. "No, just the ones that focus on manipulating my being, physical or not."

"Is it because you're a half-breed?" Temari spat a bit of malice toward the end of the sentence.

Izumi turned to Temari with the slightest of sneers. "I would prefer the term half-_demon_. And yes, that's why. It's also why I can't perform any jutsus' myself."

"Whoa! Are you serious! That must suck. Why can't you?" Naruto seemed really interested in the details of Izumi's fighting life.

"Because of my demon heritage, my chakra is extremely erratic and powerful, so it's too difficult to actually focus or control any set amount outside my body. Instead, I just use my chakra the way my father did, through body power."

"But what about that little cat of yours? Why is he so cute and cuddly now, but a creepy demon when he's big?"

Gaara watched Izumi as she spoke. He noted the way her eyes grew stormy at his sister's title for her. "Dinner will be ready for you all in about fifteen minutes. You should go ahead in and get ready."

Naruto turned to his red headed friend. "Awww! But I wanna learn more about your girlfriend!"

Izumi reached out to smack the back of the blonde's head. "I am _not_ his girlfriend. And if you want to learn more, then I'll meet you out here tomorrow. Maybe I can even teach you a few things."

Naruto nodded his approval. "Alright, I'll hold you to that!" The boy turned along with his friends toward the mansion. He waved back to Gaara and Izumi. "See you guys at dinner!"

"We won't be there."

Naruto turned to Gaara, and then looked from him to Izumi. "Oh…. I get it! Gonna get lucky, eh! Have fu-OWW!"

Kankuro smacked Naruto on the head. "Just shut up, Blondie…"

"Hey! I'll kick your ass!"

_"I think I will go and look around some more, beloved."_

Izumi looked down at Yuri. _"Why? Don't you wanna come eat with us?"_

_"Not really. I'd like to go find escape holes, scope out a little territory, maybe see if I can find some woodland creatures to socialize with." _The little leopard cat turned away from his companion and began walking back toward the mansion. _"Have fun, my love."_

_"Thank you. Make sure you don't get into any trouble. And if anyone tries to pick you up, you tear the hell out of them, got it!"_

_"Yeah, yeah. Just go and claim your mate."_

"What?" Izumi watched as Yuri trotted away without answering her. She listened to Naruto and Kankuro going at it until they finally disappeared into the mansion. When they were finally out of sight and hearing distance, she turned to Gaara. "Now why exactly am I not eating dinner?"

Gaara smiled. "I didn't say that. We're just not eating with them."

"Oh really…" Izumi wagged her eyebrow.

Gaara's face grew hot and beet red. "What? What the hell is that all about?"

Izumi got up really close to Gaara, her lips just mere centimeters away from his. She stared up at him with glittering sapphire-emerald eyes. "Wanna eat in private, huh…" She wagged her eyebrows again.

"Would you stop that…it's scaring me…" Gaara looked down at Izumi, who seemed to be enjoying his embarrassment.

"Come on, you know you want me." Well, at least she hoped...

Gaara had to literally bite his tongue not to say what he really felt. Yes. He did want her. He wanted to pick her up, toss her over his shoulder, and carry her away to a secluded place where he could fulfill every wicked fantasy she could ever dream of. Gaara was about to close the distance 

between his lips and hers when he heard a loud rumbling come from Izumi's stomach. The slight blush and cute smile she gave him melted him from the inside out. "Maybe we should go ahead and eat."

Izumi smiled and rubbed her stomach. "Yeah, that sounds nice. Where are we going?"

Gaara took Izumi's tiny hand in his and began walking toward the town. "My favorite place to eat outside the palace." He tilted his head to look at her as they walked. "Do you like noodles?"

"As long as there is meat and spices, yes, I love them." Izumi had to practically jog to keep up with Gaara's gate. Sometimes it sucked to be short. "So…."

"So….What?" Gaara looked down at Izumi, who was averting her gaze elsewhere.

Izumi hesitated to answer as they entered the well lighted town. She looked at her feet. "So…Why did you do that…?"

Gaara looked a bit confused. "Do what?"

"You know…the tree…"

"The tree…" He knew exactly what she was talking about. The truth was though; he honestly had no clue himself why he had done it. He just knew he had to feel the softness of her satin lips, taste the wild honey of her mouth. "I don't know… I.."

"Oh! Food!"

Gaara watched with a twitching eye as Izumi ran from him to the counter of the noodle bar. A small smile tugged at the edges of his lips as he watched her looking frantically over the menu on the board. She turned to him as he came up behind her.

"What's my limit?"

Gaara looked down at her with serene eyes. What could go wrong? "As much as you want." He was quickly answered with her menu order.

"Okay! I would like the spiced curry, a bowl of chicken ramen, beef ramen, shrimp ramen with extra shrimp, a bowl of your spiced meat, and a large pitcher of water." Izumi's face grew red when the cooks jaw dropped. "Please?" She drew her hands together and started fiddling with her fingers, much like Hinata.

"And for you sir…?" The cook's eyes were still wide.

Gaara rubbed his head. "Um…Just a bowl of beef ramen. Thank you." He walked over to where Izumi had taken her seat at the end of the bar. He looked her over after he sat down. "Do you really eat that much in one meal?"

Izumi looked over at Gaara. God, was he the most scrumptious piece of meat in the bar. She just wanted to tackle him and drag him into a dark corner. She sighed. "Yeah. I have to in order to maintain energy. Is that a problem?"

"No, I've just never seen someone so little eat so much." Gaara took some of the bowls when the cook brought them over and set them in front of Izumi. It was so adorable the way her bright eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming bowls of noodles and meat. She grabbed the bowls instantly. Picking up his own, he tipped it to his lips and began to drink in the warm noodles and broth. Gaara heard Izumi slurping and chugging her meal. Once he had finished off his bowl of noodles, he folded his hands and waited for Izumi.

"So, what's for dessert?"

Gaara looked over to see every one of Izumi's bowls cleaned out. There wasn't so much as a scrap of noodle or drop of broth left in any of them. He had to hold back a gape. "It's all gone." It was a statement.

"Yeah. I'm known for doing that." Izumi wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Can we please head back?"

For a moment, Gaara just stared at her. "Yeah. Let's go." He set down a decent tip for the cook and turned to walk out of the bar. Without thinking, he reached behind him to grab Izumi's small hand. It comforted him in an odd way to feel the warmth of her skin against his, the way her tiny hand fit into his like a glove. To his surprise and liking, Izumi took her place beside him, hooking her arm through his and leaning against him, her head against his shoulder.

"You know, I would have never pegged you to be as kind as you are toward someone like me." Izumi snuggled closer to the warmth of Gaara. She didn't know why, but she felt truly safe with him as they walked under the light of the glowing moon.

Gaara looked on as he saw the mansion coming into view. He let Izumi's sweet words roll around in his head. "Neither would I." As they came to the gates of his home, Gaara stopped, turning to see Izumi's beautiful face. Her eyes were big and gorgeous, set into her pale face. Her full lips were lush and pink, a temptation all in itself. He couldn't help reaching up with tapered fingers to stroke the soft flesh of her cheek. She was absolutely mesmerizing. "I would never have thought about being so close to a human being, let alone a woman."

Izumi stared up at Gaara with glistening eyes. "You forget that I'm not really human. Besides, it's just my absolutely awesome charisma." She laughed softly, her heart fluttering at the thought of Gaara being so close to her, his skin against hers. "I don't know why, but I think I like you a little bit…" She leaned up close to Gaara before tilting her head, brushing her lips against his in the gentlest of caresses. "Maybe it's just the food, though."

It was becoming impossible to resist her touch, and Gaara soon had no choice but to give in to his body's urgent demands. "Then I guess I should feed you more." He wrapped his finger in Izumi's fiery 

hair, dragging her lips to his, slipping his tongue into her warm mouth as she gasped. God was she the most delectable creature alive. She tasted of fire and honey, a sweet concoction that would be the death of him. Their tongues danced, mingling in the most passionate kiss Izumi had ever dreamed of.

Izumi let herself be carried away by Gaara's earthy taste, becoming pliable against his body, losing herself in his arms. She was so lost in her heated lust that she didn't realize that she had begun to purr. She almost whimpered when Gaara pulled away to look down at her and smile, his eyes playful.

"You know, that was cute."

"What was?" Izumi looked down at her feet, her face a hot red.

Gaara lifted Izumi's chin and kissed the tip of her nose. "I always thought kittens were cute. Innocent. Sweet." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's head in."

Izumi shook her head. "I'm sorry, but if you don't mind, I think I would just like to look around and find Yuri." She nudged him toward the giant mansion. "I'll be up there in a little bit, I promise."

Gaara looked down at Izumi skeptically. "Fine. But if you're not back at the house in an hour, I'll come out and find you." With that, he turned and walked toward his home, his deadly swagger making Izumi hot just watching him.

Once Gaara was out of sight, Izumi smacked herself repeatedly. "What the hell are you thinking, Izumi? You shouldn't be doing this to yourself. You know you don't belong with anyone…." She looked up at the sky, at all the bright stars looking down on her. "But Daddy, it feels so right." She began walking around the garden toward the woods. Thoughts of the sexy redhead filled Izumi's mind, never letting her go. She smiled to herself as she thought of the way he kissed her. He was amazing.

When a twig snapped beside her, Izumi's train of thought was lost. She looked over to her left where she had heard the noise. "Yuri, is that you?" She lifted her nose to the wind, taking in the scent of the forest. It was Yuri she smelled….but there was another…

"You couldn't love me, but you can touch someone as foul as Sabaku no Gaara?"

Izumi whipped around to see Takiji with an unconscious Yuri in his hand. "Yuri!" She glared at Takiji. "What have you done to him, you rat bastard!?"

Takiji looked down at Yuri. "I only knocked him out. He's not dead." He tossed Yuri to the ground and disappeared. When Izumi tried to run for Yuri, Takiji reappeared behind her, locking his arms around her stomach. "Why, Izumi? Why do you feel for him but not for me? I'm a true demon, I can protect you! I can give you what you want!"

Izumi writhed and struggled against Takiji's grip. "You stupid son of a whore! Get the fuck off of me!" She kicked at Takiji's legs, but did no damage.

Takiji was filled with rage. He pulled Izumi closer to him, rubbing his face in her hair much like a cat. "How could you love _him_? It was his people that hurt you to begin with! Why won't you love me!? Why Gaara!?"

"Because I do! I don't know why, but I _am_ falling in love with him, and _you_ will _never_ be my mate!" Izumi found the strength to twist her body in Takiji's arms and swipe her claws across his face. Takiji let out a groan, locking his hands on Izumi's arms, his own claws digging into her soft flesh, blood slowly trickling from the small punctures.

Takiji shook Izumi, his deep amber eyes locking with her sapphire-emerald ones. Tears burned in his eyes as they began to swirl into a dark gold. "I want you Izumi. I need you! He doesn't deserve you! Why won't you love me!?"

Izumi never took her eyes from him. She stopped struggling, looking into Takiji's eyes with only serene calm. "I did love you, Takiji. Like my own brother." Her eyes flashed fire. "But now I could care less whether you live or die." She spat malice and hatred at Takiji.

Takiji's eyes widened in disbelief. But as quickly as the emotion had come, it left. He now stared down at Izumi with glowing gold eyes mixed with pain and anger. "You _will_ be mine, Izumi. I'll make you _my_ Queen, and kill Gaara, and anyone else that get's in my way if I have to." And then Takiji jerked Izumi toward him and forcefully placed his lips on hers.

Izumi couldn't fight him in this form and she knew it, and when Takiji kissed her, she felt the beast inside her break free. She screamed against him, struggling to break free. Her skin began to itch and burn as her golden, rosette covered fur burst through her soft, human skin. Her muscles and bones snapped, cracked, and contorted. A muzzle formed from her lush lips, canines and sharp teeth erupting in her mouth as her body took its demon form. When she was finally complete, Izumi roared in Takiji's face, smacking him aside with her powerful arm into a nearby tree.

Takiji hit the thick trunk of the tree so hard that it snapped in half, sending it toppling over behind him. He groaned, but got to his feet. "If you want to play rough, kitten, I'll play rough." He roared as he began to take his own demon form. When he was fully formed, Takiji stood a full two feet taller than Izumi, with a much thicker body. He looked just like a giant panther with glowing gold eyes. The midnight black of his fur glistened with the light of the moon, and Izumi could see the corded muscle of his body. None the less, she wasn't going to give up.

Izumi took a running leap, snarling as she tackled Takiji, knocking him back into another tree, snapping it in half just like the first. She slashed at him with her claws, trying her best to tear at his chest. Takiji grabbed her with his own talons and threw Izumi off of him, regaining ground as he caught her around the waist and rolled with her on the ground. He pinned her beneath him and lunged at her shoulder with his sharp teeth. Izumi let out a leopard's scream, the inhuman sound filling the air, sending creatures of all kinds running in terror. She managed to lift her legs under Takiji's stomach and rip at his flesh with her clawed feet. She back-handed him, sending him spinning toward the ground.

Getting to her feet, Izumi grunted and coughed, blood flying from her muzzled mouth. She growled before slowly stomping her way toward Takiji where he lay coughing.

"Izumi, stop!"

The large Izumi-cat turned her golden head, her eyes were glowing a dark green. She saw Gaara and the others a few yards behind her. At the first glance of Gaara, Izumi couldn't control her emotions and gave a strange, sorrowful feline whimper. _"Gaara…!_" Before she could turn her direction to run to him, Izumi felt something fly pass her. It was Takiji, and he was heading strait for Gaara. _"No!" _

Gaara watched in disinterest as the giant were-panther ran at him hell-bent and angry, blood pouring from an ugly wound on his chest and stomach. Just as the demon leapt to tackle Gaara, he shot his hand out, the sand from his gourd flying out and creating a shield between him and Takiji. As Gaara was about to draw the sand back and strike, he saw Izumi leap toward Takiji, locking her claws in his shoulders and dragging him back. He watched as Izumi tore at him, snarling and growling, trying to pull him away from Gaara.

Takiji reached back with both paws and grabbed Izumi's arms, flipping her over his head. He kicked her aside and began his attack on Gaara again. This time, he flipped over Gaara in an attempt to rip into him from the back. As expected, Gaara's sand protected him, giving Takiji his open shot. The giant panther disappeared only to reappear in front of Gaara, who didn't have enough time to bring his sand in front of him. Takiji shot his clawed paw out toward Gaara's heart, but when the claws connected with flesh, it wasn't Gaara's.

Because Izumi was much bigger in her demon form, Takiji's claws only ripped into her abdomen. She had gotten up quickly enough to block Gaara from the blow that probably would have killed him. Coughing, blood spewing from her muzzle onto Takiji, Izumi reached up one last time to strike him in the jaw with her talons, the flesh tearing away from bone, blood flowing like water from the wound.

Takiji looked down at Izumi in disbelief. She had taken Gaara's hit, nearly killing her own self. He pulled back, stumbling, trying to make sense of what had happened. He looked up to lock eyes with Gaara, growling deep in his chest before he roared into the night and turned, disappearing into the darkened forest in escape.

Gaara looked up in horror as Izumi turned her leopard gaze to his, her eyes filled with pain. She began to fall then, her body morphing back into her small human form. Gaara caught her before she would've hit the ground. He pulled her naked body close to him as she shook violently. Her skin was even more pale than normal because of the immense amount of blood loss. He reached up and touched her cooling cheek. "You're so stupid… Why would you do that…?"

Izumi stared up at Gaara. She could feel the others surrounding her, whispering, but only Gaara held her attention. "I guess that food was really good…." She tried to laugh, but coughed up blood instead. She could feel the angry wound in her stomach, blood dripping from it steadily.

She was the most courageous person, demon or otherwise, Gaara had ever met. How could she still joke at a time like this, when he could tell that she was in so much pain? He smiled down at her. "For the love of a cat, Izumi…."

"Gaara…" Temari spoke softly to her brother. "Let's get her back to the mansion and fix her up. She's losing too much blood."

"I thought she could heal her wounds?" Kankuro looked down at the naked, bloody Izumi. "Why can't she heal her stomach?"

"I can only heal flesh wounds…" Izumi's voice was too soft as she tried to speak. "I can't heal anything internal…."

Gaara lifted Izumi into his arms, his heart racing. "One of you grab Yuri and go and get the doctors ready, now!" He began to walk quickly toward his home. He wanted to run, but was afraid to jar Izumi's body further. When he finally got into the palace, there were two Suna doctors waiting in the grand hall. They directed him to the room they would operate on her and set her on a long table.

"Go on now, Kazekage." One of the doctors said. "We'll have her fixed up in less than an hour, and then you can take her." With that, they shut the door on Gaara.

Waiting on Izumi was the longest forty minutes of his life. Naruto and all his friends were waiting out in the hall with him. None of them dared to speak, as Gaara was angry and impatient, fearing his wrath. Finally, the doors opened, and the doctors stepped out.

"You may go in and see her. If you want to take her to a more comfortable bed, you may. Her body seemed to be healing itself at the same time we were, so she shouldn't be in any pain. She may sleep for another day or so." They walked out the front doors of the mansion.

"I think we'll just go ahead to bed. Good night, little brother." Temari and Shikamaru began walking up the stairs to their bedroom.

"I hope she gets to feeling better, Gaara. She's a really cool person." Naruto smiled before walking behind Sasuke and Kankuro up the stairs behind Temari.

Kankuro spoke before he left. "I've already put the cat in your room. He's sleeping soundly." With that, he left to go to bed.

Gaara took a deep breath as he entered the room where Izumi had been operated on. She lay quiet and naked under a thin sheet on the table. He walked over to her still form and looked down at her. She had saved him. Taken a blow that was meant for him. "My little kitten." He leaned down and kissed her cheek before sliding his arms under her legs and back, lifting her to his chest. "Let's take you to bed." Gaara took Izumi out of the room and headed up the stairs to his own master bedroom. He used his leg to open the door and slid in.

Walking over to his silk covered bed, Gaara pulled back the blankets to lay Izumi's pale body on the soft mattress. Since he hadn't turned on the bedroom lights, he went over to the balcony doors and opened them, allowing the light of the moon to spill in on Izumi. Gaara turned to walk to the other side of the bed then and placed his hand on Izumi's forehead. She was running a high fever, shaking almost violently, her teeth chattering. Gaara knew what would bring down her fever, but was wary of doing it. In the end, seeing Izumi in pain made him decide that he could do it.

Gaara pulled off his clothing, leaving him bare in the light of the moon. He climbed into bed beside Izumi under the covers. Unsure of exactly what to do, he slid up beside her and pulled her into his arms. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, her breath tickling his chest. Her tiny fingers flexed, grabbing at his flesh as she curled into him with a small sigh. Her legs entwined themselves with his as she snuggled against him. When she began to purr, Gaara smiled, closing his eyes and holding her tight. It took every ounce of discipline Gaara had not to wake Izumi and take her. The feeling of her satin skin 

against his made him reluctantly hard. He let his fingers tangle in her golden fire hair, taking in her soft scent. "Izumi…My Queen…" Gaara held Izumi like this for the rest of the night, falling asleep to the sound of her soft breathing and heartbeat.

Takiji collapsed beside a giant boulder, his were-panther form fading into his human one. Izumi had left him with more than enough tears. He reached up to touch his healing cheek. How could she do this to him? How could she choose that worthless Gaara over him. Yet she did. She took the blow that was meant to kill him. "What's so great about him? What does he have that I don't?"

"Maybe a little thing called humanity."

Takiji turned with a snarl to find Kabuto crouching in a branch above him. "What the fuck do you want, four eyes."

Kabuto chuckled. "I wouldn't try biting the hand that feeds you, half-breed. You're gonna want to know what I have to say."

"And just what is that?"

"Just that Gaara has a weakness…As does Izumi…"

Takiji's ears were fully turned to Kabuto now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that they both have one, but only one, major weakness."

"And what's it gonna take to get that information from you?" Takiji stared up into Kabuto's strange black eyes.

Kabuto grinned wickedly. "Great knowledge comes with a great price, Halfling."

Takiji got to his feet with a deep growl. "I don't care what the fuck you want! Just tell me what it is so I can have my woman."

Kabuto smiled internally. He knew that he had already ensnared Takiji in his trap. It would only be a matter of time before the pieces of his self-made puzzle fell into place. And he would reign supreme in the end….

AN: Well, I really hope you liked this chapter. I definitely like it myself. Hope to see some more reviews from fans! Thank you soooooo much to those of you who have reviewed my story thus far! I always love to read them, especially the lengthy ones! –lol- Until Chapter 8- Chao!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- Tsunade's ties

Hi There! I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this up, but our internet crashed. It's okay now though, we have Broadband! Yayness! Anyway, this is just a chapter to explain the ties between Izumi and Tsunade as well as lead me into probably one of the biggest battles of the story. I needed something that would help tie Orochimaru to this and here you go! Chapter 9 won't take nearly as long, promise! Hope you enjoy!

The morning was warm, the sun bright on her face as Tsunade walked through the desert sands of Suna. It had been a week since Gaara had taken Izumi, and a few days that Naruto and the others had been gone. The wind played with Tsunade's long blonde hair, her eyes glittering. She thought back to the night before.

_"You know Tsunade dearest….She really is something to behold."_

_Tsunade whipped around where she stood near the woods to find Orochimaru perched up on a branch in the dark. "What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?"_

_Orochimaru licked his lips. "That little half-demon girl, Izumi. You know, I would never have believed that Gaara had the heart to take care of one such as her." He licked his fingers now with his disgustingly long tongue. "She is quite delectable though…"_

_Tsunade growled. "What do you want with her, Orochimaru? You know damn good and well that should she fully take the power of her father you wouldn't even stand a chance of surviving. She'd have no problem at all killing you."_

_"True, true. But who ever said that _I_ had to pull that power from her. That's where my minions come in…" Orochimaru stared down at his former team mate with evil yellow eyes. "I already have young Takiji, who would do anything to have the love of Izumi….And when he brings her to me, I'll kill him and take his demon powers as well…." He stood and turned on his heels. "The clock's ticking, Tsunade dearest….Come and catch me if you can…." With that he disappeared into the darkened trees of the forest._

_Tsunade stared at where he had been. She knew that Izumi could take care of herself, as well as Gaara. But knowing that another like Izumi was alive and wanting her made the situation a hell of a lot more difficult. In the end, Tsunade decided to take herself to Suna. She would just see how Izumi was doing, and how far she had progressed with Gaara. "_If_ she's progressed…."_

Now Tsunade was entering Suna territory and could see the young Kazekage's sand palace in the distance. She walked past two guards who just watched her as she went through the giant gates of the city. She made her way through the town of venders, looking around at all the people. The town had been much more prosperous since Gaara had become Kazekage and the Shukaku had been removed from his body. Tsunade still wondered why Gaara could still control sand without that Biju, though…

"Mistress Hokage, what brings you to the Suna palace this day?" A Suna Anbu greeted her on the steps of the palace.

"I wish to check on the progress of the Kazekage and Izumi."

The Anbu scratched his head. "You mean the short girl with the red hair and leopard cat?"

Uh-oh. "Yes, why do you act so….iffy…." Tsunade watched the young Anbu blush.

"Well….If you had seen how close she and the Kazekage were, you would certainly blush yourself."

Tsunade smiled internally. "Are they at the palace now?"

"As far as I know. I think the girl was suppose to teach some kind of technique to Naruto."

"Thank you." Tsunade walked past him and headed into the gates of the Kazekage's home. She didn't have to enter very far before hearing fighting in the back of the large estate. It sounded like Naruto being beaten. When she reached the back of the home, she found that her hearing hadn't gone down with age and saw Naruto on the ground on his back, Izumi hovering over him with her foot on his chest.

"You can't just come at me like that, you blonde ditz! You have to plan your move, be one step ahead of your opponent." Izumi backed off of Naruto. "Try it again."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he got to his feet. "It's not my fault you're not human!"

"You don't have to be part demon to counter someone's attack, Naruto, you just have to think through what you're doing." Izumi smiled before taking her stance, which didn't really look like one, but more of a lazy stand. "Now, hit me."

"Alright! I can do this!" The blonde put his hands together in sign before calling out, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Roughly ten other Naruto's appeared surrounding Izumi. "Get her!"

"You didn't think things through…" Izumi caught the first clone by the neck, slinging him into a second clone. Both clones vanished. A third tried to grab her from behind, Izumi turning with a swift kick into the stomach of the clone. She looked to see the other seven all heading for her at the same time and decided to use some of her chakra. Izumi let her body relax, feeling the powerful demon chakra flowing through her veins. She reached inside herself, forcing the chakra into a more erratic state, flowing into her legs. She lifted one of her legs, her eyes flashing a dark, almost black blue before bringing her leg down onto the ground, crushing it. A large crater formed, cracked moved, opening the earth and tripping the clones and sending them into the deep brown ground. "Yuri!" The cat leapt then, running around to each of the clones and biting deep into their necks until they all vanished. "Good boy."

Naruto stared at her, eyes wide in shock. "I don't get it! Why can't I do that!?"

"Because you're chakra is a much different kind."

Izumi and Naruto both turned to see Tsunade standing by the ropes of the arena, watching them with interest. "Hey Mistress Tsunade! What's happening!?" Naruto walked over to her. "Have you met Izumi before?"

Tsunade looked at the girl and her demon cat. Izumi looked just like her father with her mother, with the exception of her father's fire-red hair and the sapphire in her eyes. She was just as beautiful as she was meant to be. Izumi just stared back at her, and Tsunade wasn't sure why. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Izumi?"

Izumi looked on at Tsunade. She was the one woman who would give her anything as a child, and had offered her a home after she had grown out of the forest. "So it has, Mistress." She set Yuri down on the ground. "Why have you come here?"

"To make sure you were getting along with everyone, though I've heard it took a bit of time." She smiled. "What do you say to a quick match?"

Izumi smiled herself. "Well, if an old woman can fight, then let's go."

Tsunade smiled. "You may look like your mother, but you have your father's attitude." She took her own stance, ready for the fight Izumi would give.

"Let's go, then!" Izumi leapt into the air, flipping gracefully before coming down on Tsunade with her leg. When Tsunade grabbed her ankle, Izumi twisted in the air and kicked Tsunade's arm with her other leg. She dropped to the ground while Tsunade staggered to regain balance. "Come on, old lady, can't you block a kick?"

Rubbing her arm, Tsunade finally balanced herself. "I see you've gotten much better at your technique. But let's see if you can dodge me!" She lunged forward in an attempt to punch Izumi, but missed and hit the ground, creating an even bigger crater where Izumi's kick had landed. "Cat-like reflexes, I forgot…"

Izumi had an ear to ear grin on her face as she landed on the ground in an act of grace. "I see age has gotten to you, old woman." She began running at Tsunade, and when she got about a foot away from her, Izumi jumped, flipping over the blonde woman and planting a kick into her back before flipping away. "Nya-Nya! What now Tsunad-HEY!" Izumi looked over to see that Tsunade wasn't where she had been. "Where the hell…SHIT!" Before she had time to dodge, Izumi was hit in the chest with one of Tsunade's famous punches. She went flying backward out of the ring, but before she would have hit the ground, something coarse and familiar caught her. "Gaara!" It was a half surprise, half whine.

"I was coming to see if you wanted lunch, but it looks like I'm saving your ass again." Gaara reached down and grabbed Izumi by the waist, lifting her up and setting her on her feet. He looked over to see the Hokage standing in the ring watching them carefully. "Why have you come to Suna, Mistress Hokage?" Though he was normally cold, he did know his manners.

Tsunade watched Gaara catch and help Izumi. She didn't know whether to be astonished or bemused. "I've come to make sure that Izumi is alright, as I see she is."

Gaara just glared. He knew that there was more to the story, for no Kage would ever leave their village unless there was a damn good reason for it. He decided he wouldn't say anything yet, however, and simply invited Tsunade into his home. "Join us for lunch." He turned toward the palace, but didn't start walking until Izumi took her place beside him. Gaara didn't say anything, but just took her small hand into his. He couldn't live without knowing she was close enough to touch.

The entire time they walked to and around the mansion into the dining hall, Tsunade watched how Gaara treated and reacted to Izumi. Every move she made, he paid attention to, waiting to catch her if she fell in any sense. It was as if Gaara almost loved her….

"So, Tsunade-sama, how have you been?" Izumi turned to look at Tsunade as they sat down at the large table of food. She reached out and grabbed a good couple plates of meat and fruit.

"Everything is alright, I suppose. Nothing's gone wrong in a while, but don't hold me to that for long…" Tsunade fixed herself a sandwich and a glass of cold milk. She turned to Naruto then. "So where are the others?"

Naruto finished stuffing his face before answering. "Well, Shikamaru is with Temari, Kankuro is training in the forest outside of the town, and I'm pretty sure Sasuke is up in his room."

"Oh…" Tsunade didn't know exactly what to say, so just ate her sandwich and drank her cool glass of milk. Not long after she had finished her meal, Izumi got up from the table.

She waved at Gaara. "I'm gonna take a walk with Yuri, 'kay." Izumi leaned down and picked the furry cat up; holding him in her arms much like a stuffed animal. "See ya, Granny Tsunade!"

"See ya later, Squirt." Tsunade smiled as Izumi walked out of the dining room and out of the palace.

"Why don't you go with her, Naruto. Keep her out of trouble if you can." Gaara looked over at Naruto, who had just finished stuffing his face.

The blonde smiled wide. "Sure! She can't be all that hard to handle!" With that, he walked out of the dining room after Izumi.

Once the two were out of the palace, Gaara turned to Tsunade. "Why have you really come here?" His deep teal eyes locked gazes with Tsunade. He wasn't about to give in without the answers he wanted.

Tsunade simply stared back at Gaara. She knew that she couldn't keep anything from him that concerned Izumi. Not without serious repercussions. She sighed, "I guess I'm not going to be able to hide anything about her from you, huh?" Tsunade slid out of her chair and got to her feet. "Can we walk?"

Gaara nodded before getting out of his own seat and leading Tsunade to the back of the palace where the main garden was. They walked slowly as Tsunade began to explain herself.

"It was about seventeen years ago… During my rebellion of becoming Hokage, I traveled across many lands in an attempt to fulfill my own ambitions. Eventually, I ended up right here in Suna." Tsunade looked out toward the town. "When I first entered the village, there was a crowd of angry people gathered around a woman and man. When I asked another nin what was going on, he told me that the woman was the leader of Suna's Anbu and that the man with her was really a Neko demon. He said that the woman had betrayed them by mating with the demon and carried his spawn."

Gaara listened to the story with actual interest. This event that the Hokage described would have happened right around the time he was born…

"I saw that the woman and her lover were fighting off the crowd, kicking them back. I knew I had to do something, so I broke in and got in between the couple and the angry villagers…"

_"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" One of the villagers shouted at Tsunade as she placed herself in front of the fighting couple. "Get out of the way so we can kill the demon and his hell-spawn!"_

_"There's absolutely no reason to kill either of these people! What reason do you have for killing your own Anbu!?"_

_"Are you fucking blind? She's pregnant with a demon's child! She's betrayed us all!" The villager yelled running forward at Tsunade._

_Tsunade caught the angry villager in the stomach with a powerful punch, sending him flying backward. She stood then and looked around at the entire town. She reached behind her and pulled the woman forward. "Look at her! She shook the woman gently at the crowd. "Look at the scars she carries because of protecting your village! This woman has done everything she possibly can to keep your families safe and this is how you repay her!"_

_"But she has mated with a demon!"_

_"And has this demon you speak of ever tried to harm you!?" Tsunade pointed to the tall, red-haired man. "Even now, when you're all trying to kill him he does nothing to harm you!" She stepped forward. "It isn't our heritage that makes us who we are! It's the choices we make in life, the road we choose to take on our way to eternal light. So what if this woman has chosen to love a demon? At least the demon cares enough about her not to destroy her entire village when he has the power to do just that! I guarantee that if he wanted to right now he could easily take form and kill you all before you would ever know what happened, and you would dare threaten his lover and unborn child!?" She was _

_outraged at the thought. "This is the only village in all my life I have ever seen that would shun something so insignificant." _

"In that moment, I had decided to follow the road of my grandfather and take his place as Hokage in the village. I knew that I needed to heed my own words, but that wasn't the matter at hand…" Tsunade walked in a slow pace beside Gaara, looking around at all the flowers.

Gaara stared forward toward the sound of Izumi arguing with Naruto. He hadn't realized just how attached he had gotten to her. It was as if she was a part of his soul. He didn't speak as Tsunade began her tale again.

"Once I had gotten the villagers to settle down and leave the couple alone…"

_Tsunade turned to the couple as the village left to start their day once again. She looked over the woman, who was actually quite beautiful. "May I ask your name?"_

_The woman answered. "My name is Mazihiko Katara, lead Anbu of Suna." Katara was a small, beautiful woman with sun-kissed skin. Long dark hair framed a small round face with deep set bright green eyes. Katara was full figured, but seemed like a kitten in comparison to the man beside her._

_The man was a full two heads taller than his mate, with broad shoulders and a muscle ripped body. He had long fire-red hair and the darkest blue eyes Tsunade had ever seen. He didn't look anything like a demon. The man held out his hand to her and gave her a small smile. "My name is Miake, a demon from the Nekomata's blood. Thank you for protecting my mate and child." Miake leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Tsunade's cheek. She blushed instantly._

_Tsunade looked at the couple as a whole. Nothing seemed wrong about their relationship. So maybe Miake was a demon, but why would the villagers be so frightened of this one? "What exactly is a Neko demon? I've seen cat demons before, but none of them ever had a human form."_

_Miake placed his hand on Katara's shoulder before turning. "Why don't you join us for lunch, Mistress…"_

_"Tsunade. Just call me Tsunade."_

_"Ah. The granddaughter of the first Hokage, I see."_

_Tsunade's jaw dropped as they walked. How would he know such a thing? "How did…"_

_"I had the chance to meet him about twelve years ago. You were much younger then." Miake walked along side his mate protectively. "We are only a little ways from my home. I know it isn't much, but it keeps us sheltered and warm." As they walked out of an opening in the woods, Tsunade saw that their home was a small cave hidden in boulders. She followed them into the cave to find a very cozy little loft. There was a small pit of ashes in the middle of the big room for cooking, a large pallet of animal pelts in a corner, and many different supplies of weapons and medical materials. _

_"Wow. It's so much bigger than it looks on the outside." Tsunade sat down by the pelts where she was motioned to._

_Katara smiled softly. "It's actually quite homey. The pelts keep us very warm and comfortable, and if there was an intruder, there is an escape route in the back of the cave that leads to a network of tunnels." The green eyed woman reached out and took Tsunade's hand into her own small, pale one. "Thank you so much for what you did back at the village." Tears welled up in Katara's eyes as she smiled at Tsunade. She placed Tsunade's hand on her small round stomach. "She'll live because of you. I couldn't ever thank you enough for the words you spoke on our behalf."  
It took everything Tsunade had not to fill up with her own tears as she felt the tiny baby within Katara's stomach kick at her hand. "It's all I could do. There is absolutely no reason to kill a great Anbu like yourself because she carries the child of a…" She stopped before she finished the sentence. Miake didn't really seem all that much like a demon. "Miake…" She turned to look up at the red-headed man as he boiled soup over a fire. "What make's you a demon…?"_

_Miake never took his eyes from Tsuande's as he rose to his feet and shed his armor. When the last of his metal armor hit the ground, a soft light surrounded the man. Tsunade watched in both fear and awe as fur began to push through Miake's skin, his finger's becoming claws and then large paws. A muzzle formed where his mouth was; giant canines and sharp teeth erupting as his face was distorted and he crouched on all fours. The only comfort Tsunade had was Katara's hand over hers on the round stomach. Once the light faded, a giant horse-sized leopard stood where the man had. The great cat arched its back as beautiful massive black feathered wings erupted from its back. The leopard locked gaze with a scared Tsunade._

_"Isn't he beautiful?" Katara rose to her feet, walking over to Miake's cat form. She ran her small hand over his rosette covered fur. She looked over at Tsunade, who was still sitting in shock. "Come here, young Hokage."_

_Tsunade could do nothing but come as Katara's melodic voice wrapped itself around her. She got to her feet as well and slowly walked over to where Katara stood petting her mate. With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched the golden fur. It was soft. Soft as velvet, and very comforting. Tsunade ran her fingers through the large leopard's pelt to his large wings. "Why do you have wings, though…?"_

"It was one of the gifts given to us in order to protect the forest and its dwellers."

_Tsunade was taken back a bit at the sound of Miake's voice in her head. "Wow….That's so amazing. But why would anyone be afraid of you? It's not as if you look like or act like a nasty demon."_

_Katara's bright green eyes became dark and sad. She looked to her lover as he shifted from his cat form back into his human form, taking his hand as he did so. "They just don't understand. They think he is evil because he is a descendant of the great Neko Biju, Nibi." Katara looked back up at Tsunade. "They don't think highly of any bloodline of the Biju. Especially Nibi."_

_Tsunade chewed her thumb for a moment, thinking what Katara said over. "And I guess they especially don't approve of the mating between you all because your daughter will be…" She couldn't say it. It would be cruel to call the child a-_

_"Half-breed." Miake looked to the floor in shame, his dark blue eyes stormy with pain. "I know what my child will be in the eyes of the world. I know that she will never find a medium in which she will belong. But I also know that my daughter will be a fighter. She will protect the weak and fight for all that she believes in and she will show everyone what fools they are for thinking her weak because of the mixed blood that flows through her veins. My daughter will have the beauty of an angel, the strength of a thousand demons and the heart of the noblest leopard." With unshed tears in his eyes, Miake kissed his mate on the head and turned to walk out of their in-ground home._

_Deep within her heart somewhere, something clicked, unlocked. Tsunade knew that these two people would forever change her life. If only she knew just how much of an impact it would truly be…._

"And so from that day on, I stayed with Izumi's mother and father. Her mother taught me how to channel my strength and her father taught me how to focus my chakra into specific points of my body."

Gaara listened to Tsunade finish her tale while he watched Izumi fighting with Naruto in the distance. She was amazing in all ways possible. But he wondered one thing. "Can she only take on that one form of a were-leopard?"

Tsunade also watched Izumi sparring. "I honestly don't know. Possibly. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." With that, she turned on her heels and walked back into the mansion. As she walked, she thought back to her time with Miake and Katara.

_It had been about eight months that Tsunade had been with the mates as she sat beside Katara while they washed their clothes and armor in the river. Tsunade smiled over at her friend as she looked over her very large, rounded belly. "So what are you going to name her, Katara?"_

_The dark haired woman looked down into the river, her brows drawn. "Hmm. You know, I really haven't thought about it." She looked up at Tsunade. "What do you think?"_

_"About what?"_

_"What her name should be?"_

_Tsunade looked down into the water. "Well, it is Spring, and you are having a water birth in the lake aren't you?" She thought for a moment. "Spring and water are very beautiful, and they can be calm and soothing or they can be cruel and destructive so….how about Izumi?"_

_Katara smiled, reaching down to touch her rounded tummy. "Izumi….It's beautiful…." She smiled sweetly up at Tsunade. "She'll be my little Izumi." She got to her feet and tried picking up the basket of washed clothes._

_Tsunade took the basket from her friend and helped her steady her feet. "Here, you go on ahead. I'll be right behind you as soon as I hang these out to dry, okay."_

_Katara smiled. "Alright. I can't wait to tell Miake our daughter's name! Thank you, Tsunade" With that, she headed back into the forest toward their home._

_Tsunade began to wash her feet until she heard the sound of Katara's scream. In an instant, Tsunade leapt away from the river and ran as fast as she could into the forest. When she came to Katara, she saw three men surrounding her. She flipped into the air and landed in front of the woman, shielding her from the men. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!?"_

_The largest of the men stepped forward. They all three wore the bands of Suna. "We're going to tear the half-breed out of her and destroy it while we have the chance!"_

_"Miake has done nothing to you, and the child can do no harm! What the hell is your problem!"_

_"That thing inside her could kill us all! What if it turns on us!? What if the damned thing decides to try and destroy us!?"_

_Tsunade smacked her fist into the tree beside her, smashing it into splinters as it toppled to the ground. "Oh would you all just get over it! These people have never harmed you and what does it matter that this woman's child is half-demon? What the hell does any of this have to do with you!?"_

_The man glared at Tsunade. "That damned demon mate of hers took my wife's life! He raped her and slit her fucking throat!"_

_"And how do you know it wasn't another of his kind!?"_

_"It doesn't matter! I'm gonna kill them all!" The man ran forward, kunai drawn toward Katara. Before the man could reach her, Tsunade planted her fist into his chest, taking the kunai into her own shoulder. Before she could do any more, a loud roar came from beside her, Miake's demon form leaping through the brush onto the man. Miake locked his jaws around the man, shaking him violently before _

_throwing him about ten feet away. The giant cat turned to the others in challenge before he put Katara on his back and grabbed Tsunade in his jaws and running. The great leopard never stopped until they reached the cave._

_It didn't take two seconds for Miake to drop Tsunade onto the ground and take his human form. He pulled Katara to him roughly, running his hands over her to make sure she wasn't harmed. "You're such an idiot, Katara! You've lost your touch in your pregnancy!"_

_Katara's breathing began to pick up. She groaned and grabbed at her stomach. "Miake….Miake she's here…!" She fell against the weight of Miake._

_Tsunade ripped the kunai out of her shoulder before jumping to her feet. "Miake, lay her down on the pelts!" She helped the confused looking man lay his mate down to rest. "Alright, I need you to pull out a pelt to clean Izumi with!"_

_"What!?" Poor Miake._

_"Just do what I tell you and this will go by quickly!"_

_Katara's hand shot out, her nails digging into Tsunade's arm. "Tsunade! I'm scared! It hurts so badly!"_

_Tsunade gritted her teeth against the pain of Katara's nails. "Shhh….It's okay, my friend. Here," She took her friends hand and placed it in Miake's. "Miake, you comfort her in any possible way you can. I'll take care of the baby." Tsunade pulled back to place herself between Katara's legs. "Okay, sweetie, I need you to give me a good solid push. There you go!" Before she knew it, Tsunade was reaching forward to catch a crying baby Izumi. She fell back on her knees as she wiped the child off, tears filling her dark eyes. "Wow…"_

_Katara looked up at Tsunade with tears falling from her bright green eyes. "She's so beautiful…" She reached up to kiss Miake. "Look at our little kitten, Miake!"_

_Tsunade's tears began to fall, too, as Izumi smiled and reached up to grab a tiny fistful of blonde hair. "You all really know how to make a cute baby." She kissed the little girl's head before handing her over to her mother. Getting to her feet, she wiped her tears away. "I think I'll leave you two in peace."_

_"Wait!"_

_Tsunade turned quickly to see Katara reaching for her hand. Taking it, she smiled._

_"Please, promise me you'll always watch over our daughter. I want you to be her protector should something ever happen to us."_

_"I promise, my friend, I promise."_

"My dear friend. I've kept my promise so far…" Tsunade stopped dead in her tracks as a wave of cold evil spread over her. Before she could make a move, the sound of Izumi's scream filled the air.

"Gaara-ugh!"  
Tsunade ran as fast as she could to the garden. When she got there, her eyes widened. Takiji stood on a branch, an unconscious Izumi lying limp in his arms.He was stroking her face in a sadistically soft manner.

Takiji looked down at Gaara and Tsunade, malice in his dark umber eyes. "I told you I would take her, 'Coon!" He bent his head to nuzzle Izumi's cheek. "She's MY Queen!" With that, he turned and leapt into the darkness of the forest, dodging out of sight of Gaara's spike of sand.

Tsunade couldn't say anything for a full minute. All she could hear was the promise she had made to the best friend she'd ever had. "Gaara!" When the boy turned his angry gaze on her, she spoke softly. "He's taking her to Orochimaru. We need to get to her before nightfall."

"And how do you know this?!" Gaara's teal eyes snapped fire, anger burning through his blood.

"Does it matter how I know!? Follow me!" With that, she took off running after Takiji with the speed of a cheetah, Gaara close on her heels.

_"Promise me, Tsunade, Promise."_

"I do, Katara, I do…."

AN: I hope this explains some things as well as makes you want to see what happens next. Believe me, you don't want to miss it! Kudos!


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